Always a Triplet, Always a Friend
by Tecumseh Dean
Summary: Adelaide Hayworth is a triplet, a fantastic Chaser, wildly intelligent and best friends with the Weasleys, Cedric and nearly every other boy at Hogwarts. But is she just one of the guys or is she oblivious? Hog-PostWar AU AH/CD & CW & maybe SB & OC?
1. In the Beginning

A/N: Ciao! Here is my newest story. Right now, I'm thinking of making it an Adelaide/Fred story, but it could go A/Charlie or A/Cedric or A/Oliver, etc etc etc. The possibilities are endless! Anyway, this story is going to be looooooooong, I can just feel it!

Anyway, please read! I hope you enjoy! And don't forget to review!!!

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Adelaide Hayworth was always a friend. Wasn't that the saying? Always a friend, never a lover? Well, if it wasn't, it should have been, because that's how Adelaide saw herself. She was everyone's friend – only _ever_ a friend – to what felt like the entire male population and that's all she would probably _ever_ be. Little Adelaide Hayworth, friend to all.

----

Adelaide, Jack and Neil moved to Ottery St. Catchpole with their parents from their London flat when they were three years old. Sara had finally told her husband that enough was enough: she could not raise such energetic triplets in such a small flat: they needed space. And they were a young couple with a little bit of money saved, so they could afford to move somewhere outside of the city. The house wasn't very large, but it was big enough for 5 people with a lot of fields of long grass surrounding it. There were only a few houses in the immediate area and Sara and Raymond were unsure whether they were magical or Muggle. The Hayworth house was an old country house that Sara and Raymond had fixed up before they all moved in: hardwood floors, an old Muggle kitchen, and two large bedrooms on the second floor. There was a large porch with an old swing and a fence around the front yard with a quaint little gate.

Not three days later, after Sara and Raymond had unpacked most of their belongings, there was a knock on the door and three small distinct voices were shouting indecipherable things. "All right, all right," Sara grumbled as her long legs maneuvered around her three blonde triplets, she headed to the door, her husband not far behind.

She opened the door to reveal an obviously pregnant short woman trying to hold two fidgeting boys, a tall man holding a quiet boy with glasses on his hip and two taller boys standing in between their parents. The tallest boy grinned, "Hello, we're your neighbors! The Weasleys!!"

Sara opened her mouth to introduce herself and welcome them inside when she felt one of the triplets pressed themselves against her leg and whispered loud enough for all to hear, "What's wrong with their hair, Mum?"

Sara looked down horrified, "Neil!" But the red headed man laughed.

"That's all right, probably never seen so many red-heads before!"

Sara continued to blush, "I'm so sorry," she frowned as she noticed the boy with glasses stick his thumb in his mouth and the second tallest boy frown. "I'm Sara Hayworth and this is my husband Raymond, please, please won't you come in?"

The triplets watched with wide eyes as the peculiar family walked in. Raymond bent down, "Aren't you three going to introduce yourselves?"

Jack shook his head violently and moved to hide behind his father's legs. Neil was still standing curiously at the family, so it was Adelaide who stepped forward bravely after glancing at her father. "I'm Adelaide," she said clearly and poked her brother's arm, "this is Neil," she jerked her thumb behind her head, "that's Jack. And we're triplets, but I'm the oldest." She stopped, looking pointedly at the boy who spoke earlier, to introduce himself and his siblings.

"Mum, what's a triplet?" The second tallest brother asked, staring at Adelaide curiously.

Adelaide furrowed her brows, her pale grey eyes angry. She reached behind her father and grabbed Jack, pulling him roughly up to stand next to her. "_We_ are triplets," she said slowly and deliberately, unaware that Mr. Weasley and her father were looking at each other and stifling laughs. "We were all born on the _same_ day, October 15th, and we are all three years old."

The eldest boy was smiling at Adelaide and pointed to the two youngest brothers, "That's Fred and George. They're _twins_ and they're two."

"But there's _three_ of you?"

Adelaide nodded at the second oldest boy.

"But you don't all look the same. Your hair's different."

Adelaide opened her mouth, stomping her little foot, but her mother intervened: she didn't know what Adelaide might to say to explain the three shades of blonde hair the triplets had. "That's because they're fraternal. That means they _aren't_ identical."

Mrs. Weasley shifted the twins on her hip, "I'm Molly Weasley and this is my husband Arthur and we live right over the hill, right down there." She smiled at the three Hayworth children, "Boys will you introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Bill and I'm the oldest. I'm going to Hogwarts in two years!"

"I'm Charlie and I'm second oldest."

There was a pause as everyone looked at the boy who was still sucking his thumb. Once he saw that everyone was waiting on him, he popped his thumb out of his mouth and said quietly, "Percy and I'm four."

Mrs. Weasley nodded at the two boys in her arms, "And these are the twins and we've got another one on the way."

The triplets didn't pay any attention to what the adults were saying, they were watching the very strange children. The twins and Percy were put down on the floor as the parents wandered into the kitchen talking about things Adelaide and her brothers didn't care enough about.

Once the adults left Neil stared at the twins, "Do they talk?"

One of the twins covered his mouth and laughed while the other one said quickly, "Yes!"

Percy looked around the room until his eyes landed on Adelaide, "You're a girl?"

The little girl huffed and crossed her arms, "Yes."

Bill was still smiling, "You're the only girl in the neighborhood!"

Charlie wandered further into the room, Jack following him, "Bill, they're the only kids."

Jack continued to follow Charlie to make sure the older boy didn't touch any toys when one of the twins asked, "What's a girl?"

"Yea, a girl?"

Adelaide just stared at the twins her mouth hanging open when Bill turned to the twins, "Mum's a girl! Aunt Muriel's a girl."

The twins made a face and laughed, "Ew! Girls!"

Adelaide stomped over to the twins and stuck her face in front of theirs. "Girls aren't gross! Girls are just as good as boys!" Still angry, she pushed one of the twins who fell on his bottom with a thud.

Everyone froze, waiting to see who would cry or tattle, but no one did – the adults were walking out of the kitchen talking and laughing and saying goodbye as they scooped up the kids.

Once the Weasleys had left, Raymond turned to the triplets, "So, how did you like the Weasleys boys? You'll be playing with them a lot I imagine, since they are the only kids in the neighborhood."

Adelaide, Neil and Jack looked at each other, something they did often that made their parents convinced they were silently communicating. It was Jack who finally spoke up, "Why is their hair _red_?"

---

Molly and Sara were enjoying a cup of tea on the Hayworth's couch as they watched their children play: neither set of kids had really ever played with any other children, so it was surprising to see everyone get along so well. Even Percy and Jack, who were the two quietest were still playing with everyone else. Sara was especially relieved to see the usually inseparable triplets were playing with different Weasley boys. Jack and Percy were "reading" a book while the twins and Neil played vampires and Bill, Charlie and Adelaide played Dragon Keepers before the twins would question Adelaide about girls while Bill told Charlie and Jack tales of Hogwarts. All the children would play quietly and loudly with the other children, and both mothers were pleased to see that Bill and Charlie made sure everyone shared toys and books and that Adelaide made sure no one was left out.

And just a few hours after that cup of tea, Mrs. Weasley gave birth to yet _another_ Weasley boy, leaving her other sons under the care of Mrs. Hayworth (who had _insisted _and would not take no for an answer, to which Mrs. Weasley had cried her thanks).

--

Adelaide peered over Mrs. Weasley's arm to get a better look at the bundle she was holding: it was the first time the Hayworths were meeting Baby Ronald. Adelaide looked up at Mrs. Weasley's face, "He looks like Billy."

Neil nudged his sister so e could get a good look too, "No, Addie, he looks like Freddie!"

Fred huffed from his spot on the floor in front of the couch. "Does not! And don't call me that!"

Neil jumped down laughing, "Freddie, Freddie, Freddie."

Adelaide ignored the argument and looked down at the baby again, "How long until he'll talk?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled, "Not _too_ long, but maybe he'll want to keep quiet because everyone else talks so much. What do you think, Adelaide?"

Ron squirmed in his mother's arms and let out a loud, long cry.

Adelaide covered her ears, "No."

--

Jack pushed his peas around his plate as he listened to his father talk about work. Jack loved to listen to stories about his father's job at the Ministry: Neil thought it sounded boring and Adelaide was indifferent, but Jack found it all very exciting. "Did you see a dragon today, Dad?"

Raymond smiled at his oldest son, "No, not today, Jackie-boy, today I helped an old lady who has a loose hippogriff in her yard."

Jack grinned as his mother questioned Raymond about how a _hippogriff_ had made its way to the suburbs of London. Raymond had a job in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and after six years at the Ministry, after six years working a desk job, he was finally getting exciting jobs like this. Jack continued to listen to his father and during a lull was going to ask another question when Neil spoke first.

"Charlie says he wants to be a Dragon Keeper."

Jack grumbled. "So?"

Neil sat up straighter, "I do too!"

Adelaide giggled and ignored a reproachful glare from her mother, "You just want to be like Charlie!"

Neil was going to retort but Raymond cut in, "Children," he said sternly, "you can do _whatever_ you want, but you have to finish school first."

Jack smiled again, "Mum said she'd teach us to _read_ soon!"

--

George pouted as he watched Adelaide coloring with _his_ crayons. The little girl shrugged, tucking her dirty blonde hair behind her ear, "You lost, George," she said matter-of-factly.

Percy covered his mouth with his hands as he giggled, ignoring his younger brother's glare. George opened his mouth to speak but Bill ran over pulling a reluctant Fred and Jack with him, Charlie and Neil close behind. "I have a _secret_!" Everyone was quiet and Adelaide put her crayon down excited. "I overheard Mum. She's pregnant! She's going to have another baby!"

Charlie nodded excitedly, "Said she wants a girl!"

George pouted again and glared at Adelaide, "What's so great about a _girl_ anyway? Girls can't do anything!"

"They can't even play Quidditch!" Fred finished, laughing.

Everyone stared in horror as Adelaide stood up slowly, her pale grey eyes blazing. Bill and Charlie were going to say something to the twins who were smiling smugly when Adelaide threw herself onto Fred, pushing him on the ground yelling, "Girls can do _anything_ boys can do! I'm just as good as Neil and Jack and I'm just as good as a boy!" She twisted her small body and reached out for George who had started to cry when she felt herself being lifted off the ground.

That night, still upset, Adelaide woke up her brothers, "Cut my hair," she instructed Jack.

"Addie, we don't care that you're a girl! We're the three little dragons, remember?"

Adelaide frowned at Neil, "I want my hair as short as yours and JackJack's!"

"Can't Mum do it tomorrow?"

Adelaide tried not to cry, "I want to be the same as you!"

Jack patted his sister's shoulder, "But we all have different color hair and different color eyes!"

Neil nodded, "And the twins were mad they lost and mad they aren't the babies anymore." He laid back down in his bed, "Now, go back to sleep, Addie. It'll be fine."

--

Adelaide laughed as Ron giggled and pointed up at his two oldest brothers as they flew overhead. He crawled into her lap and clapped his hands as Neil and Jack plopped down on the grass on either side of her. They were at the Burrow while their mother helped Mrs. Weasley who was due any day now. "Just two more years until we can fly!"

"Do you think we'll get our own brooms?" Jack asked as he watched Bill throw Charlie a quaffle.

"Yea," Neil said confidently, "Dad loves Quidditch and he'll want us to play at school."

Adelaide nodded, "I'll bet if we're really good we will for Christmas!"

Ron giggled again and pointed across the grass where the twins were whispering to each other. The three Hayworth kids looked at each other. "We can't let them win," Neil said seriously.

"But, brooms!"

Adelaide shook her head, "Neil's right, they can't win!"

--

Adelaide held the youngest Weasley in her arms, smiling at the girl, "Now," she looked up at her mother and Mrs. Weasley, "Ginny and I can show those boys that girls are just as good as boys."

Sara smiled at her daughter and said seriously, "I'm sure they are already well aware." The two mothers shared a look, trying to erase the image of mud-covered twins, laughing Jack, Neil and Charlie and a smug Adelaide from their minds.

"Some day, those twins will grow up," Mrs. Weasley sighed.

--

"Ron's boring, Mum!" George whined.

"Even Ginny's more fun!" Fred pouted, watching as Ginny slept in her hammock.

"Don't you dare wake her boys! Look, the triplets are coming over soon and you can play with them," she paused as she continued to knit, "and don't you bother Percy either! Let him read!"

"But Mum!" Pouting, the twins went and huddled in a corner, whispering, something Mrs. Weasley was always skeptical of. She hated when the weather was bad almost as much as her children. She was very thankful when Sara swung by to drop off the triplets before she had to run to Muggle London to see her sister (who was very fearful of magic and refused to come to St. Ottery): even if Sara wasn't staying, Molly knew that the triplets could entertain the twins, even if they occasionally helped them with pranks and tricks.

Sara watched as Adelaide immediately went over to where Charlie and Bill were playing Wizarding Chess and Jack and Neil went over to the twins. Smiling, she turned to Molly, "I won't be gone too long and I'm going to pick up some Muggle things for the kids to do on rainy days."

Molly sighed, relieved, "Thank Merlin! It's supposed to rain all week!"

--

Adelaide sat down next to Charlie, "Girls play Quidditch, right?"

Bill didn't even look up, "Best Seeker in the league is a girl!"

"Really?"

Charlie nodded, "Joanie Roth. Puddlemere is undefeated 'cause of her."

Adelaide was quiet for a moment, "And you guys still like me, even though I'm a girl?"

Bill and Charlie both looked up alarmed, "Did the twins say something again?"

"Yea, they know you can beat them up."

Adelaide shook her head, "Mum said I should wear my hair long because I'm a girl," she pouted, throwing it behind her ear, "but it gets in the way."

Charlie pulled her head under his arm and ruffled her hair roughly, "Nope, I can still do this!"

Adelaide laughed helplessly as Bill came over and tickled her, "Girl or no girl, you're one of us, Addie!"

--

Percy pushed his glasses up as he peered over the black box. "So, it's Muggle?"

Neil nodded excitedly, "And it shows mofies!"

Jack giggled, "Movies, Neil!"

"What's a moo-vie?"

Adelaide laughed at Fred and pushing a small black box in to box Percy was peering over, she pushed a button and Charlie let out a gasp as colors showed up on an even bigger brown box. "Watch," she said and sat on the floor between George and Fred.

Sara and Molly laughed quietly from the front door, "They've watched this one movie twice already."

Molly laughed, "And your sister just gave it to you?"

Sara nodded, "It's her old one, didn't need it. And don't worry; they'll be occupied all day, so take the whole day to yourself."

Molly hugged the younger woman, "Thank you, dearie, you're a life-saver."

--

"Can we watch another one?"

Sara smiled at George, "Maybe another rainy day, huh, George? It's almost dinnertime anyway."

George frowned but Adelaide ran up and grabbed his hand, "Come on, George, we're going to learn the songs so we can sing along!" She pulled him forcefully back to the TV as Sara smiled and shook her head, stirring the pasta she was boiling over her Muggle stove.

--

"Mum, will the Hayworths be back before I leave?"

Mrs. Weasley put down her spoon and wiped her hands on her apron before sitting down on a chair and hugging her eldest child. "They'll be back in two days, Bill, don't worry."

Bill didn't look his mother in the eyes, "You think I'll make friends?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled, "Lots and lots of friends, Bill and they'll all be your age."

"Will Charlie and Percy write to me?"

"We all will if you want us to."

Bill let out a chuckle, "The twins can barely write their names, Mum. What about the triplets?"

She stood up again, "I'm sure they will if you ask them, Bill, now run along and wash up before dinner."

--

"What House you think you'll get?"

The Weasleys and the Hayworths were having their last dinner before Bill left for school. All the kids but Ginny were sitting in the shallow pool Mr. Weasley had set up. Bill grinned, "Well, all Weasleys have been in Gryffindor for the past, well, the past forever!"

Jack scratched his arm and looked at his siblings, "Only mum, dad, Uncle Wayne and grandpa have been to Hogwarts and they were all in different Houses."

Percy looked intrigued, "Really?"

Neil nodded, "Every House but Slytherin."

"We want Gryffindor!" The twins exclaimed in unison.

Bill shrugged at the triplets, "Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff would be okay, but since everyone has been in Gryffindor –"

Adelaide smiled, "Don't worry, Bill, you'll be in Gryffindor!"

Charlie smiled teasingly at his older brother, "We wouldn't want you to disappoint the ancestors, Billy!"

--

"Adelaide! Jack! Neil! Charlie's here!"

Adelaide ran to the front door, "What are you doing here, Charlie? Where's everyone else?"

"Come on, your mum said you could come over – we're helping dad with these gnomes in the garden!"

"Gnomes?" Charlie was grinning, "Come on! Come on! Get your jacket and your gloves! Your brothers can go with your dad, come on! Come on!" He tugged on her arm as she giggled and grabbed her coat, hat and gloves.

"Mum, I'm going with Charlie!"

Charlie didn't wait for Mrs. Hayworth to reply and pulled Adelaide out of her house and dragged her down the hill to his yard where his family was standing around the shrubs, watching as Mr. Weasley brandished his wand.

"Isn't this great?"

--

Adelaide would recall her entire childhood fondly: while every day wasn't spent with the Weasleys, a good portion of them were. All of the Hayworth and Weasley children got along, but Adelaide had always been closest to Charlie (even though he was four years older), even after the twins stopped teasing her for being a girl: the beatings they got from her and seeing how naturally terrific she was at flying, they nearly forgot she was female. But it was Charlie who was Adelaide 's closest Weasley (not counting Ginny of course; the two girls had to stick together). So it was Adelaide who was most depressed when Charlie left for Hogwarts.

Everyone had missed Bill when he left his first year, but there was something more noticeably different when Charlie left. The twins (with the help of the triplets) started to prank and destroy things more: putting Exploding Snaps in the bushes to frighten the gnomes, putting frogs in Percy's bed and worms in Ron's oatmeal, hiding Molly's things among other mischievous pranks.

They also started to play a lot of Quidditch. The twins were finally old enough to fly and were determined to be just as good as the Hayworths.

But that was nearly impossible: the Hayworths had been flying for a year when the twins started, but even when Bill and Charlie had been home over the summer, they could easily be out flown by the triplets.

And Sara and Raymond could not have been prouder. Although they were in different Houses and did not meet until they worked at the Ministry, they had both played Quidditch at school. Sara played Chaser on Hufflepuff for two years and Raymond had played Beater on Gryffindor for four. They would bring out their old brooms every once in a while and toss the Quaffle with the triplets. And even though they had few to compare the triplets with, Sara and Raymond knew their kids were good.

Even with their used Cleansweeps, the triplets were faster than the twins (Percy, of course, liked to keep his feet on the ground) and forced the twins to try even harder. Sara and Raymond had been worried that the triplets might let their talent get to their heads, especially Neil, but they were relieved to see that even from the beginning the triplets were always determined to fly faster and play better. They would take turns shooting and keeping and would all compete against one another for the snitch.

When Charlie wrote to say that he was going to be a Reserve Chaser, the triplets, the twins and even little Ron, who barely knew what that meant, were very excited. And very jealous. And this only made the triplets more determined to be better Quidditch players.

--

A few days before the triplets 7th birthday, Raymond Floo-ed in from work announcing that one of the newly-promoted wizards in Department of Magical Games and Sports__had purchased the house down the lane and was moving in the next day.

"Dad! Can we go visit them tomorrow?"

"Yea, does he have any kids?"

"Like when the Weasleys came here when we moved in?"

Sara rolled her eyes as she pushed Neil back on to his chair and off the table which he had begun to lean against in his excitement. "Yes, I think that's a very nice idea –"

"Can we make cookies?"

"Yea, the Muggle way!"

"Can George and Fred and Percy help?"

Sara laughed, "They're going to see their Aunt Muriel tomorrow, remember?"

Jack pouted, "Cookies?"

Raymond swallowed his food, "I think that sounds like a great idea, right Mum?"

Sara smirked, "Right _Dad_ thanks for volunteering."

Raymond's mouth opened as he took in his wife's challenging stare and his children's gleeful faces.

--

Exasperated, Sara gave up trying to get the triplets to stop running ahead and to be quiet as they walked down the lane. Even normally shy jack was excited, running circles around Adelaide, the extra material of his jacket sleeves flopping around as he waved his arms.

Adelaide stopped for a moment to wait for her parents. She looked up at her

father, "If they have kids, can we invite them to our party?"

Ray smiled, pleased to see his daughter was being thoughtful, if only for the extra presents, "I don't see why not!"

The Hayworths finally made it to the front door and the three kids waited excitedly for their father to knock. A tall man with dark hair and kind brown eyes opened the door, a smiling, shorter woman with light brown hair standing next to him and a young boy with short light-brown hair stood in front of them, a nervous expression on his face as he stared at the three grinning children.

Neil spoke first, "Hullo! I'm Neil Hayworth and this is Adelaide and Jack and we live right down the lane in that yellow house!" He pointed down the dirt lane behind his back, his eyes still looking between the three new neighbors.

The man smiled, "Well, hullo! I'm Amos Diggory, this is Laura and our son, Cedric."

The triplets ignored their parents as they introduced themselves to the Diggorys, they were too busy smiling at Cedric.

"How old are you?" Jack asked, noticing that Cedric was slightly taller.

"Seven," Cedric replied quietly, still looking between the three.

"We'll be seven on Tuesday!" Adelaide grinned, "Do you want to come to our party on Saturday? It'll just be us and the Weasleys, they're the other kids in the neighborhood, but they aren't here today."

Cedric tried to keep up as she spoke so quickly. He looked at them questioningly,

"You're _all_ nearly seven?"

Neil beamed, "We're triplets!"

Cedric's eyebrows raised so quickly it was almost comical, but he never got to respond because his mother was inviting the Hayworths inside.

--

Although initially overwhelmed by the triplets, Cedric's first afternoon with them was very enjoyable for a boy who barely had any friends in London aside from his older cousins and neighbors who were now all at Hogwarts. His parents were equally pleased to see that he was enjoying himself and was not as shy as he once was.

The adults were sitting having tea when Neil ran in and after a stern look from his mother, remembered his manners. "Pardon me, but Cedric says he loves Quidditch and that he's played a few times with his dad, do you think he could come over tomorrow and play with us?"

Sara turned to Mr. and Mrs. Diggory, "If it's all right with his mum and dad, of course."

Mrs. Diggory smiled and nodded and Neil ran from the room with a loud, "Whoop!"

Sara grinned, "I think they're more excited for another non-redhead in the neighborhood than they realize.

--

Cedric could not remember having more fun playing Quidditch then the first time he flew with the Hayworths. He had never laughed so much, never enjoyed flying more: they let him take turns shooting and keeping and learned their tricks quickly.

And the triplets loved it too: Cedric was good and a quick learner. He even showed them a few tricks.

Needless to say he was disappointed when his parents came outside to tell him it was time for dinner, but was already looking forward to the next day.

Cedric woke up to rain. Frowning he trudged down to breakfast to say goodbye to his father; Laura watched his son stir his oatmeal but never actually bring the spoon to his lips. "Honey, we can still go over and see what they're doing today.

There are things to do inside."

Cedric's face lit up and without another word he began to happily shove the oatmeal in his mouth to get dressed quickly.

Sara grinned when she opened the door, "We were just going to Floo you to tell you to come over!" She bent down slightly to say to Cedric, "They're in the living room about to watch a movie."

Cedric looked questioningly at the woman, but handed his mother his coat and ran into the house only to stop short when he reached the living room. There were the triplets, sitting and running around the room, but there were also five red-heads. Cedric just stood there a few moments, confused and nervous to walk into the room as he suddenly felt intensely shy again. His eyes watched the three Hayworths: Adelaide was hunched over a book with a very young looking boy, Neil was running around and laughing with two identical boys and Jack was tickling a young girl as a boy with glasses laughed.

Cedric was about to walk back to his mother when Adelaide looked up and noticed him standing by himself and looking around nervously. Smiling and knowing he was scared by all the new kids, she stood up and took his hand, "Cedric, these are the Weasleys," she waved her hand gesturing at the room. Frowning that no one was

paying attention she said loudly, "Oi! Cedric's here!"

Neil and Jack grinned, both shouting, "Hullo Cedric!" but the Weasleys all looked confused.

"Who's Cedric?"

Percy rolled his eyes at George, "That is obviously him," he replied dryly.

Adelaide introduced Cedric to all the Weasleys, telling them he was seven, was really good at Quidditch had just moved from London and was an only child. Cedric said 'hullo' nervously before everyone went back to what they were doing previously except for Adelaide who, still holding her hand, asked him if he knew anything about movies and told him her mother had gotten them a new one as an early birthday present and how excited she was too watch it.

And Cedric, his nerves eased, fell into an easy and excited conversation about moves as Adelaide showed him the VCR and the TV before Sara came in to turn the movie on. And even though he still didn't really know these Weasleys, he wasn't nervous as Adelaide pulled him down to sit on the carpet next to her.

--

Mrs. Weasley smiled as she watched Adelaide chat animatedly with Cedric at the triplet's' birthday party in the backyard of the Hayworths' house. She turned to the other two mothers, "Poor Charlie will probably be very jealous when he meets Cedric."

Mrs. Diggory looked at Cedric and Adelaide and back up to Mrs. Weasley, "Why ever would he be jealous?"

"Well, while I'll doubt he'll admit it, Adelaide is definitely his favorite and while I'm sure he was worried she'd become much closer to the twins while he's at school, he knew that Adelaide and he would always be closer."

Sara smiled at Mrs. Weasley good-naturedly, "I doubt any of the children have favorites, Molly. They all get along quiet well. And Charlie and Jack both love to talk dragons!"

Molly shrugged, still smiling. "Well, even though Adelaide, or Ginny for that matter, don't act like typical little girls –"

Sara laughed, "Thank, Merlin."

Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Diggory laughed too, "But I think Charlie still has a soft-spot for them, even if he doesn't know it."

Sara smiled, although still unconvinced, "I think once Charlie gets back from school, even if he and Bill may not show it outwardly, they'll both realize how young everyone still is and will only think of them as little babies. And baby _boys_ for that matter." She smiled again and turned back to the kids where Adelaide was now trying to get Cedric to talk to her and Fred.

But when Mrs. Weasley saw Adelaide hug a startled Cedric when she opened her present, she knew that Charlie would be thrown by this new neighbor.

--

Even though Cedric knew he had no reason to be afraid of them, he was nervous to meet the two eldest Weasleys, the revered Bill and Charlie. Bill was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and Charlie was a reserve Chaser as a first year. Thankfully, the triplets would be there when he met the older boys.

Adelaide, Neil and the twins were giddy as they waited in the living room of the Burrow for Mr. Weasley to bring the boys back fom King's Cross. Ron and Ginny sat with their mother on the couch as they watched the others talking animatedly and pacing around the room. Percy read a book in the corner, looking bored.

The twins yelled something at Percy, so no one heard the front door open and no one noticed the boys enter the house until Ginny flew off the couch and threw herself at her brothers. Everyone followed suit, standing around the boys, hugging them, laughing and asking all kinds of questions.

The triplets gave the boys quick hugs after the rest of the Weasleys had and Mrs. Weasley smiled to herself as Charlie hugged Adelaide just a little longer than her brothers. Charlie was grinning, "Now, where's our new neighbor?"

Adelaide smiled and pulled Cedric up next to her, "Charlie, Bill, this is Cedric Diggory!"

The two boys shook Cedric's hand, who still was very shy until Bill said, "Cedric, we've heard tons about you, everyone seems to like you, so welcome to the Ottery-Family."

Cedric smiled, relief flowing through him, "Thanks."

--

Bill and Charlie treated Cedric just as they treated the others: like a brother they'd known for years and Cedric couldn't have been more relieved.

Charlie didn't quite understand why he cared so much or why he had noticed, but he felt as though Adelaide was paying less attention to him as she had used to. But he brushed it off and enjoyed the rest of the holiday spending time with his family out in the snow and inside telling stories of Hogwarts with Bill.

He was happy to be home, but was excited to go back to Hogwarts, his second home.

--

The twins were playing Quidditch with the triplets and Cedric a few hours before Bill, Charlie and Percy were going to come home from the summer as Ron and Ginny searched for the snitch: the twins were more than a little upset that the triplets and Cedric were going to be gone the coming fall, leaving them to practice with Ron and Ginny who weren't nearly as good or old enough to play.

The triplets were not as excited for the boys to come home for the summer: Bill had a new friend he was planning on meeting in London a few times over the summer, Charlie was going to spend a week in Ireland with a friend and one of Percy's friends was going to spend a few weeks at the Burrow while his parents went away. And even though Bill and Charlie still loved the Hayworths, they were older how and had their own friends to see and everyone else was still very young.

Ginny grabbed the snitch, much to Adelaide, Cedric and George's delight and they cheered Ginny's name as they flew around the yard. Jack sulked, "Can I play Seeker next time, I hate playing Chaser!"

"JackJack, you know we don't have enough people to play two whole teams, so we need Ginny and Ron to play Seekers!"

"What if we played?" Charlie and Bill waved from the ground and pulled out their brooms from their trunks.

"Teams?" Charlie asked.

"We get Charlie!" Adelaide yelled, grinning as Charlie flew to their side of the pitch.

Neil and Fred stuck their tongues out, "We want Bill anyway. Least he's a good Chaser!"

Charlie grinned as he turned to his team. "Positions?"

Adelaide and Cedric looked at each other, "Ginny's not a bad Seeker, even against Jack, George'll be Beater and I can be Keeper."

Charlie looked at Cedric, "You ready to team up again, Diggory?"

Cedric grinned, "I'm always ready, Charlie."

The match was fast-paced and evenly matched: Cedric and Charlie made a great pair, even though Neil was an excellent Keeper. And although Bill was a seasoned Chaser (he had played Chaser and Beater off-and-on for Gryffindor), he could never fully fake-out Adelaide and Ron was little help. When Jack had finally caught the snitch, the game was pretty tight, thanks to Cedric, Charlie and Adelaide.

Hot, tired and in good spirits, the children landed on the ground and laid down on the grass. "Where's Perce?"

Bill laughed, "Reading probably. Feels as though he has a new sense of purpose since he's been to Hogwarts now."

"So –"

"Should we burn these books?"

Adelaide sat up, "You two will do no such thing! You'll leave Percy alone. And that means you too, Neil!"

"But Addie!" Fred whined, grinning.

"Bill, who's the friend you're going to visit in London?" Cedric asked innocently.

"Yea, who?" Ron agreed.

No one could see Bill's face and ears turn slightly red, but Charlie couldn't help but make him feel more uncomfortable. "Yea, Bill who was it again? You're new girlfriend?"

Everyone sat up confused at this word Charlie had used and Bill looked horrified at his brother. Did they expect him to explain dating to all these kids who barely recognized that Adelaide and Ginny were girls?

"Wait, Billy, what's a girlfriend?" Ginny asked.

"You mean a friend?" Jack asked, utterly perplexed.

Bill took a deep breath, "No, not exactly a friend, but more than a friend, see, Jane and I are dating and we do things that couples do –"

Charlie was sitting up now, his elbows resting on his legs to hold up his chin, "What do couples do, Billy?"

Bill threw his brother an angry look before continuing, "See, we do lots of things together like eat and study and talk and kiss, because we like each other a lot."

Ron's face contorted, "You kiss?"

"Like Mum and Dad?" Neil was equally as horrified.

"Why?" Ginny squealed.

Bill sighed, "Don't worry, guys, it'll all make sense when you're older. You'll want to kiss girls or boys and depending, sometimes boys want to kiss other boys, but it'll make sense when you're 16. You'll think people are cute and you'll want to be with them all the time, but more than as friends."

The triplets shook their hands and Adelaide looked around her, "No way, now way," at all the boys.

--

The Weasleys, Hayworths and Diggorys were all sad when Charlie left for a week because Bill was also leaving to spend a long weekend in Diagon Alley with a friend (Charlie had teased him – never in front of their mother – and his girlfriend): there were only a few weeks before the start of term and the Hayworths and Cedric were growing anxious. And the twins wanted to get in as much Quidditch as possible.

A few days before Charlie was to return, Percy's friend, a fellow Gryffindor, came to spend a few days at the Burrow. The twins were not pleased; "Probably be just like Perce –"

"Reading books –"

"Studying and talking funny –"

"Yea, not very fun."

Jack rolled his eyes at the twins and decided not to say anything, knowing his sister would. The twins always found a way to rile her up, even if only to make her laugh.

"There's nothing wrong with the way Percy talks and there's nothing weird about liking to read! In fact, I was just reading a Muggle book –"

Neil groaned, "Addie! Not again!"

Adelaide stuck her tongue out at her brother and brushed her short hair away from her face. The twins had teased her because it gotten lighter in the sun, to which she had retorted that they had gotten heaps of freckles on their arms and faces. "Anyway, you should be nice to Percy's friend! You'll probably be in the same house soon enough!"

Everyone was more than pleasantly surprised to see that Percy's friend, Oliver Wood, was nothing like his year-mate. "Why does he like Percy?" Ron mumbled to Jack, who was too shocked to reply.

They were all aghast to see that even Bill knew Percy's friend and had done nothing to assure the other's that he was 'normal'. "Ollie here," Bill clapped the younger boy on the back as they stood outside, "is our new Keeper – best I've seen in years."

Percy smirked at his siblings; the twins' mouths hung open and Neil grinned, "Well, Oliver, let's see just how good a Keeper you are, eh?"

Oliver turned to his friend and Percy laughed, "Don't worry, Oliver, Neil is a decent Keeper, but he won't stand a chance against you if he's put in Gryffindor."

Adelaide tried not to giggle again when she heard Oliver's Scottish accent and his deeper-than-Percy's voice, "You don't mind if I play, Perce?"

Percy shrugged and Adelaide was surprised to see he was smiling, "They won't let up until you do."

Adelaide was on Oliver's team and before she could stop herself, she asked him how he could be friends with Percy. Oliver smiled, "Well, our other three year-mates weren't very nice to me because I'm Scottish and good at Quidditch and practiced a few times with the team – they all though I was a bit weird I guess, being a bit bigger and all too. But Percy was nice and we became good friends quickly. He likes to watch Qudditch and since we're in all the same classes, we study and do homework together."

"Don't listen to the twins," Adelaide couldn't help but smile at Oliver's honesty, "they say they don't like Percy, but they just like to tease him. I like him just fine. We were all just a little surprised to see that Percy's mate wasn't just like him, that's all."

Oliver grinned and flew out to the edge of the yard to take his position as Adelaide got ready to steal the Quaffle.

Charlie was just as pleased to see that Oliver was at the Burrow and was even more excited to test out their new Keeper. (Neil had fully convinced himself that he wouldn't be put in Gryffindor because he realized that Oliver was a very good Keeper and although Neil could play Chaser, he much preferred Keeper).

Oliver, Bill and Charlie, however, had recognized just how good the Hayworths and Cedric were and sincerely hoped that they were put in Gryffindor if only so that they couldn't play for another house. All four seemed to be proficient at any position, although Neil was better at Keeper and Jack at Seeker; Adelaide and Cedric were both excellent at Chaser, but Cedric could give Jack a run for his money when they were pitted against each other.

Everyone was sad to see Oliver leave, but he promised the triplets and Cedric he'd see them on the train. When he left, Bill couldn't help but tease Adelaide , "Sad to see him go, Addie?" She shrugged. "Do we have a little crush on him?" he asked again, fluttering his eyelashes.

Adelaide was confused, "Billy what are you talking about?"

"Want little Ollie to be your boooooyfriend? You thought he was cute, didn't you? With his Scottish accent?"

Her face grew red and her neck hot, "Billy, of course not!" She knew he was teasing her, but she was getting angry, her pale grey eyes flashing briefly, "What are you talking about? I don't want a boyfriend!"

Bill was about to say something, unaware that he was toeing a line, when Charlie slung his arm around Adelaide 's shoulder. "Bill, come on, leave her alone."

Bill stifled a laugh but said to Charlie, "Excited to use the prefect's bathroom, Charlie?"

Once he saw his brother's face turn red, he laughed walked away.

Adelaide craned her neck to look up at Charlie's face before she flung her arms around his torso, the only part of his body she could hug on the still-growing older boy. "Thanks, Charlie, you know I don't want a boyfriend."

Charlie chuckled, "Sure I do, Addie, but one day you might. Now, come on, I'm to walk you guys home. You're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow!" He prayed she didn't ask about the prefect's bathroom, and as they walked to collect her brothers and Cedric, she had forgotten all about the comment and didn't notice Charlie's reddened ears. He couldn't bare to explain to Adelaide how Bill was something of a womanizer at Hogwarts and even though he currently had a girlfriend, he doubted Bill would keep Jane long during the next term. Charlie, on the other hand, was only just 15, and like most boys his age, he thought girls were attractive and tried his darnedest to impress them, but he had yet to date any. Not that none wanted to date him: he was able to talk with girls, probably because he was so good with treating Adelaide and Ginny, although they were much younger, as equals. He didn't treat the girls at Hogwarts like they were pieces of meat. He had no idea, however, that plenty of girls at Hogwarts had crushes on the young Charlie Weasley, the cute red-head who was good at Qudditch, friendly, funny, loyal and smart; he was just too busy with Quidditch, his friends and his studies to care much about dating girls. And even though Bill tried and tried to get Charlie to see how grand it was to date girls, Charlie just couldn't be bothered: he wouldn't be using the prefect's bathroom for anything but a nice, long, hot solo bath after a hard Qudditch practice.

--

A/N: Thoughts?


	2. First Year

A/N: Thanks for the people who are favoriting or subscribing to the updates of this story, but please review? I'd love to know what you think so far and if you'd like this to stay Fred/Adelaide, although I am personally leaning towards Cedric or Charlie….we'll see. For now I'm going to split chapters into Years at school, but that might change when they get older and I get more into personal things and not just Quidditch!

Enjoy!!

----------

_**First Year**_

Adelaide whispered something to Ginny as she hugged her goodbye on the platform. Trying to smile, the younger girl nodded her head and watched as Adelaide went to hug the last of the Weasleys, Fred. She squeezed him tight but he didn't protest.

"You'll write, won't you?"

"Course," Fred assured her, still not letting go.

"And you'll be nice to Ron and Ginny?"

Fred sighed, never one to pass on dramatics, "Fine, yes."

"I'm going to miss you, Freddie."

Fred frowned as he gave her one last squeeze, "You're going to make so many friends, Addie, you're going to forget all about me – and George."

She released him, her face horrified, "Never! Freddie I couldn't –"

But she didn't get to finish because Jack had taken her hand and began to lead her to the train as she waved goodbye.

-

The four found an empty compartment and putting their trunks in the corner, sat down on the seats silently. They were all very nervous and all hoped that one of the Weasley boys would come wish them luck. Unfortunately, none of them did before the train was leaving King's Cross.

The door slid open and the four were surprised to see a short, black-haired girl instead of red-headed boy. "Oh," the girl said surprised, "sorry." Another girl with brown-hair sidled up next to her, "Why are you sitting with boys? Come site with us."

Adelaide stared at the two short girls who were glaring at the boys and stood up, a defiant glint in her eyes, "These are my brothers and my best friend, so if you don't mind, I'd like to sit with these boys instead of boring girls like you."

The girl who had spoken clenched her jaw and glared hatefully at Adelaide as the other girl now spoke up, "Bet she doesn't even know how to wear make-up or dress like a girl or anything," she said snidely, curling her lip up in distaste, "look at her! She barely even looks like a girl!" She turned to her friend and laughed, "She'll never, ever get a boyfriend when she's older, will she?"

Adelaide made to shove the girl out into the hallway, but Cedric grabbed her arm: laughing, the girls walked away unscathed. The boys tried to get Adelaide to forget about the incident, tried to convince her that not all girls would be like that, but Adelaide wasn't easily convinced.

A few minutes later, however, Oliver and Percy slid open the compartment door, to the delight of its occupants, "How's everyone's first Express ride?" Oliver asked enthusiastically.

Adelaide smiled when she saw Oliver, immediately forgetting about the girls until Neil foolishly mentioned it.

Oliver sat down next to her and slung his arm over her shoulder and said in his comforting accent, "Ah, they're just jealous, Adelaide . Girls your age shouldn't be wearing make-up and your pretty enough you'll probably never have to. And you already have three friends in your year, you're smart, you're excellent at Quidditch and you're going to make loads of friends. They'll be mad when they're stuck with no friends."

Adelaide looked up at the older boy as he smiled down at her, "Thanks, Oliver," she said quietly.

The nearly-13-year-old boy shrugged, "Only speakin' the truth!" He turned to the others, "See you at the feast! Come on, Perce."

After the pair left, Jack turned to his sister, "Why are your cheeks pink?"

Adelaide put her hands on her cheeks and shrugged, "I was just angry before, Jack, and its warm in here." She turned to Cedric who was looking at her oddly and shrugged again before looking out the window to watch the landscapes change.

They rode in silence for only a few moments before Neil started chattering excitedly about Hogwarts and his new wand and robes and books (Adelaide had begrudgingly took the Weasley's old textbooks which had already been passed from Bill to Charlie to Percy and would go to one of the twins next year along with either Jack or Neil's books). They were all too excited to eat anything off the trolley.

Bill stopped by and introduced Jane, a 7th year Hufflepuff, told the four they'd be fine and said he'd see them at the feast before leaving again.

About half-an-hour before the train was to stop at the Hogsmeade Station, Charlie whipped open the compartment door dramatically and threw himself on to the bench next to Adelaide . "How are you all enjoying the Hogwarts Express?" They all started to chatter at once – except for Cedric who sat quietly, glancing nervously at the others. "Ced, ol' chap, you all right?" The younger boy nodded but Charlie was unconvinced. "You should have seen Percy last year! He was a right mess – nervous, quiet, even with me and Bill trying to help him out. But you guys'll be fine! Make friends in a jiffy!"

Cedric kept his eyes down, "What if we're not in the same House?"

Charlie smiled, glad Cedric was talking. "You guys'll see each other at meals, in the halls, in the library and you'll have some classes together!"

Jack nodded, "We'll see each other all the time! Same House or not!"

Adelaide leaned over and whispered to Charlie, "Will the three of us be in the same House you think?"

Charlie thought for a moment, knowing that Adelaide was asking simply out of curiosity and not because she was scared not to be with her brothers, "Don't know if Hogwarts has any triplets, so I don't know if the Hat will put you in one or three different ones. For twins I suppose it could either way, but I don't know about triplets."

Adelaide nodded, glad Charlie was being honest. "All right, you lot, if you're all okay, I've got to go and get changed – lots of Prefect duties, you know." And with a grin and playful tug of Adelaide 's hair, he left.

As the four walked off the train, Adelaide reached for Cedric's hand, giving it a gentle and reassuring squeeze. He turned towards her and attempted a smile, but they were soon being herded into boats by a very large and very hair man with a booming voice. As the four hopped into a boat, Neil leaned and mouthed "Hagrid" – Bill and Charlie had told them about the large gameskeeper. As they started across what Adelaide assumed was the fabled lake, she leaned over and whispered to Cedric, "Ceddie, stop being so nervous! You're never this shy! Come on, you're going to make tons of friends and the professors will love you!" She frowned momentarily, "I, on the other hand, have to make friends and live with girls!" She made a face and Cedric laughed.

"Thanks, Addie."

She shrugged, "Just stop being so shy! It'll be fine!"

Soon they were walking up the grass to one of the largest doors any of them had ever seen. Adelaide felt Cedric reach for her hand again as the door opened and an older, prim witch stood in the doorway. "I'm Professor McGonagall, now come, come, the other students are waiting for you to be Sorted."

Adelaide and Cedric found themselves at the head of the group and so squeezing her friend's hand and knowing that her brothers were right behind her, she walked into the large hall, head held high and eyes on the billowing robes of the Professor in front of her. It wasn't until she stopped walking that she looked around the hall: the ceiling, the candles, the tables, the teachers and the students – it was all very intimidating. And very beautiful.

Adelaide watched as a few students walked nervously to the stool and sat down to have Professor McGonagall barely put the Sorting Hat on their head before it shouted the name of a House. When Cedric's name was called, Adelaide gave his hand a final squeeze as Neil clapped his back. The hat was on Cedric's head for a few moments before shouting, "HUFFLEPUFF!" and Adelaide couldn't help but clap along with the table of older Hufflepuffs as she watched Cedric, grinning, sit down at his new table.

"Hayworth, Adelaide," Professor McGonagall called and Adelaide bravely stepped forward and sat on the stool, her hands clasped in her lap as she waited for the hat to be placed on her head.

But then everyone was turning to look at an older man with a long beard, his bright, twinkling blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles as he spoke in a clear voice from his spot at the head of the table, "Ah, I do believe these three are the first triplets to ever grace the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, and I for one, am anxiously awaiting to see how they'll be Sorted." He nodded his head and Adelaide felt the slight weight of the hat as it was placed on top of her head.

Charlie had told her that the hat talked so she wasn't scared when she heard a voice, "Ah, triplets, eh? And you're all very different, yet very similar. Hm, you're the brave one, aren't you? Would do well for Gryffindor no doubt, but you are very clever, even if you don't know it, and those Gryffindors can be rather foolhardy and stubborn sometimes and you're not a typical –"

Adelaide waited for the hat to continue its sentence but instead it shouted, "RAVENCLAW!!" to the whole hall and grinning widely, Adelaide sat down at the end of the Ravenclaw table, shaking the hands of the older students and the two other first years that had been sorted before her: Alec Billings and Norah Collingsworth.

It seemed that the entire hall was anxious as the hat was placed on Jack's head for nearly as long as Adelaide's and she surprised herself when she let out a long breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding when he was finally sitting down across from her at the Ravenclaw table. The hat shouted "RAVENCLAW!!" before McGonagall could even fully lower it onto Neil's head; the entire House greeted Jack and Neil just as enthusiastically as they did Adelaide, and the triplets sat down, grinning at each other as they waited for the Sorting to finish.

Neil and Adelaide chatted easily with their new year-mates, silently encouraging Jack to as well (which he eventually did, although he was slightly more reserved then his siblings). Towards the end of the meal, Adelaide glanced over to the Hufflepuff table, pleased to see Cedric smiling and talking with the other Hufflepuffs.

As Jill and Sam, the two Ravenclaw prefects gathered the first years to show them the way to their common room, Adelaide and her brothers waved at the three Weasley boys and Oliver; Charlie giving them a thumbs up and Oliver winking at Adelaide.

They were finally at Hogwarts.

--

Jack and Neil were waiting for Adelaide in the common room before breakfast when she walked down the stairs talking excitedly with her year-mates, her bag nearly falling off her shoulder as she waved her arms about something, causing Norah and another girl, Mia, to laugh. The other girls bid their good mornings to Adelaide 's brothers and walked out the door ahead of the triplets. "So, making friends with girls?" Neil teased.

"Yea, I thought you didn't like girls!" Jack agreed, grinning.

Adelaide tried to appear haughty but she couldn't keep a smile from creeping onto her face, "I just never knew any, did I? Always with you lot," she smiled as Jack hit her arm. "They're much nicer than I thought – not very girly, excited for classes and don't mind boys."

"They like Quidditch?"

"Norah likes to fly but says she's not very good at playing, Jessie likes to watch, Cymbelia likes to play but wants to practice more and won't go out for the team for a few years and Mia doesn't really know anything about it since she's Muggleborn."

Her brothers nodded and told her that all of the boys loved Quidditch and wanted to go out for the team or were anxiously waiting for the start of the season so they could watch. The triplets waved to Cedric as they entered the Great Hall and received their schedules from Professor Flitwick, their Head of House.

The first years started to share things they'd heard about the professors: Brendon had a much older sister who had graduated the year before who had loved Snape, but Neil told everyone what Bill and Charlie had told the twins over the past few summers. Jack interjected of course, explaining that Percy found his teaching methods to be fair and just although he seemed to favor the Slytherins.

The others liked this explanation and Norah looked down at her schedule again,

"Good thing we have Potions with the Hufflepuffs then. Can't favor any of us."

Adelaide was pleased to see that they had Potions, Transfiguration and Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and only Charms with the Slytherins which whom she had no personal quarrels but knew that the elder Weasleys did.

Their first lesson of the day was Transfiguration so the triplets waited for Cedric outside the Great Hall, "Hey, Ced! How's Hufflepuff?"

Cedric grinned, "Great! How's Ravenclaw?" Neil beamed, "Grand!"

"Making friends?" Adelaide asked as they walked down the hall.

Cedric laughed and hit her arm playfully, "Loads."

--

By the end of the first day, Transfiguration was Adelaide's favorite course, Neil had loved DADA and surprisingly, Jack found Professor Binns' lesson to be "very excellent". Neil had rolled his eyes and pretended to snore, making Alec laugh.

They were all talking about their favorite parts of their day and were starting to discuss how excited they were for Potions and Herbology when one of the older Ravenclaws sat down, "Hullo, guys, I'm Robbie – Qudditch Captain." He was greeted with a few unenthusiastic greetings and a few more excited ones. "Now, we don't have many open positions, but if any of you want to try out or if you just want to show me how you play on the off-chance we need back-ups later on in the season, we're having try-outs this Sunday at 9 am on the pitch."

The triplets talked excitedly as Robbie walked back to his original seat: but their excitement for Qudditch diminished when Jessie reminded them all they had assignments to complete. But like typical Ravenclaws, they were excited.

--

Adelaide and Neil were talking to Alec while Jack talking with Jessie and Mark as they waited outside the Charms classroom when a group of first-year Slytherins walked up. The Ravenclaws ignored them until a loud, high, grating voice said, "Well, well, if it isn't the triplet _freaks_ – they don't even look the same." Adelaide clenched her fists as she turned her head to see the same brunette from the train. A taller boy with jet-black hair who stood next to her said snidely, "Must be Muggleborns."

The other Slytherins laughed behind them as the Ravenclaws stared in shock. Adelaide opened her mouth to say something in retaliation, but it was Jack who spoke first. "At least we aren't inbred," he said clearly with a bored expression on his face.

Adelaide bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, as there was a shocked silence over the students. The Slytherin made to say something, but nothing came out of his opened mouth.

Professor Flitwick came then and ushered the students inside, unaware of the animosity. Adelaide and Neil pinched Jack's arm playfully, equal parts impressed, surprised and proud of their usually reserved brother. The other Ravenclaws were impressed too and told him so during dinner. When a second-year overhead, he told the other Ravenclaws and son Jack was a sort of Ravenclaw-hero: the Hayworths were not only the unspoken pride of Ravenclaw House because they were the first and only triplets but now Jack was the Defender of the Muggleborns and Thorn in Slytherin's Arses.

And the next day, even Charlie, Bill, Percy, Oliver and Cedric had heard and all clapped Jack on the back for "a job well done".

--

Quidditch tryouts were not as nerve-racking for the triplets as they were for the two other first-years (Alec and Mark) and few second, third and fourth-years. One third-year nearly threw up before she got on her broom to demonstrate how she could fly around the pitch. A Chaser and Beater were the only two positions available and Nancy, a fourth-year and Gus, a third-year were the two favorites. By the end of the first hour, all but Nancy, Gus and the triplets were left on the pitch with Robbie and the rest of the Ravenclaw team.

"All right, Hayworths, you three are all not bad at Chaser, and Neil you're an all right Beater, but Nancy here is just a little quicker and a little older which helps some, but are there other positions you like to play in case someone gets hurt or sick?"

Neil looked at his siblings before turning back to the Captain, "Would we practice with the team?"

"Once every few weeks or so, sure."

Neil nodded, "Well, I prefer Keeper and Jack prefers Seeker and Adelaide is pretty good at anything, but she's the best Chaser."

Robbie smiled, "I didn't want to say anything, but I had noticed," he paused and speaking briefly with his team, he told the triplets to get into positions to show the rest of the team what they were made of.

--

The rest of the term went by very quickly and the triplets barely had time to write letters to their parents and the Weasleys stuck at the Burrow. They saw Cedric during class where Adelaide would usually sit next to him and only saw the Weasleys occasionally at meals. The Slytherins didn't bother the triplets or the rest of the Ravenclaws anymore aside from the occasional glare or snicker and it helped that the Ravenclaws were all very good Charms students. The triplets got along very well with all of their year-mates and were friendly-enough with most of the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors too.

Only the Ravenclaws (and Cedric) knew that the triplets would practice with the team every once in a while and they didn't bother to tell Charlie, Bill or Oliver because they doubted they would ever play that year. And as the first match was fast approaching, tensions between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were running high.

Gryffindor barely won the first match at the end of November even though Ravenclaw had caught the Snitch (thanks to Russ' long fingers), but the Gryffindor's were good at not gloating. Not too much at least.

--

The Christmas holidays were a nice break although the triplets did miss the castle. The twins were so thrilled to have the triplets back and they wasted no time informing Neil and Adelaide that they had already though of numerous ways to wreak havoc on the castle. Jack, of course, wanted not part in the mischief and instead read with Percy and questioned Bill on his future.

The second term began just as the first had ended. That is, until a week before the third match of the season and the second for Ravenclaw.

During practice, Max, the 7th-year Keeper managed to get his tenth concussion and the diagnosis that he could not play Quidditch competitively ever again – that is, unless he had a death wish. Then Janet, the 5th year Chaser up and quit (for good) because she was sick of Quidditch, was sick of her ex-boyfriend (Josh, another Chaser) and was sick of not completing assignments because of practices. And then Russ, two days before the match, got a letter from his parents _forcing_ him to quit immediately if he wanted to get a job as an Auror (and it didn't help that in his anger he jammed three of his fingers in a door).

These unlucky coincidences turned out to be very lucky for the triplets, who now found themselves to be permanent members of the team. Ravenclaw, of course, managed to keep the three new additions secret from the entire school (except Flitwick) so that Slytherin would become lazy, thinking they would win without any problems.

And that's why on the last Saturday in March, when the players rose up in the clear, crisp, morning air and Jacob, a 6th-year Gryffindor, announced the Hayworths, there was a mix of gasps, confused stares and five distinct cheers from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

"Well, apparently the Ravenclaws are pretty good at keeping secrets since no one knew who would be replacing the three former players. Of course, they are first years, granted the first triplets to walk our hall, but they are tiny, scrawny – yes, sorry Professor, but they _are_ 11. So, let's see just what Robbie Grey was thinking putting first years in a match against the nasty, rough cheating – what, no correction here, Professor? Very good, very good, everyone hates those Slytherins."

Jacob paused as Madame Hooch blew her whistle before continuing with his broadcast of the match. "Now, Ravenclaw needs to win this match by at least 100 points to knock Slytherin out before they'll have to play Gryffindor for the Cup."

"And all right, I have it on very good authority that these three Hayworths have been playing with the Weasley brothers for years – years? They're only 11! Well, let's see if those Weasleys have taught them any of the ol' Weasley tricks."

Jacob continued his broadcast throughout the game:

"Well, Charlie certainly didn not teach young Adelaide _that_ move!"

"Wow, look at this kid! Seems Master Neil here is a _very_ good Keeper – look at that save! He might be the greatest defenseman – sorry Wood, but maybe you could learn something from this kid, huh?"

"Jack is putting on a good show for us today, look at that flying! Seems to be a showman as well as an athlete – yes, just got word that he is actually the quietest of the three. Now _that_ I do not believe! Look at that! He's giving Willingham a run for his money, eh? The big lug can barely keep up!"

"Oi, ref did you see that? Are you blind woman? Yes, yes, sorry, Professor, but did you SEE that? She's an 11 year-old girl for crying out loud and you're going to let some big, hairy, brute push her – oh, well. Nevermind. Looks like the girl can take care of herself. Have you ever seen anyone accelerate that quickly? And that gracefully? And she's stolen the Quaffle – yea, shoved that ape right off his broom – ha! He's hanging on for dear life – she fakes around Chambers and – SCORES! 10 points to Ravenclaw from Adelaide Hayworth! Wow, and in five seconds flat! That's the last time I underestimate any of these Hayworths and I'm sure the last time Ape-Man over there underestimates an 11 year-old girl! Guess that's what happens when you play with boys all the time – and yes, my sources tell me she is actually the dirtiest player, and yes, I think we can all see that – and yet maybe most graceful of the three, which seems to be a tough line to straddle yet Miss Adelaide seems to with ease. And okay, yes, my sources tell me she does _not_ like her gender to be a factor in her game. Well, Adelaide Hayworth, I can assure you no one is going to treat you any differently now, especially since you play very physically. Advice to all those in the future who play against her: do _not_ get on the girl's bad side, she will _tear you up_. And I'd watch out for her brothers too. These Hayworths are unbelievable!"

"The triplet terrors! No, triplet wonders!"

When Jack caught the Snitch, the roar around the pitch was deafening: Gryffindor and Hufflepuff wanted Ravenclaw to beat Slytherin no matter what, but the fact that these three first years could fly circles around bigger, older, scarier Slytherins was unbelievable. And it helped that Neil had managed to only let three Quaffles go through the hoops and Adelaide had managed to score six goals on her own. The only ones who were not pleased were the SLytherins.

Jack held the Snitch high in his hand as he grinned, his strawberry blonde hair whipping slightly in the wind, his deep blue-grey eyes laughing as he descended to the ground, his teammates swarming around him. Adelaide and Neil got to him first and the three stared at each other for a moment, breathless and grinning before Robbie slapped Jack and Neil on the back and picked up Adelaide, swinging her around laughing.

"You three did it!"

Nancy pulled Jack into a hug, "You guys were awesome!"

"Three cheers for the Three Ravenclaw Wonders!" A boy yelled from across the grass as nearly the whole school rushed the pitch. The triplets laughed as Robbie, Josh and Gus lifted the three onto their shoulders, "Three cheers!"

They could barely make out anything decipherable as nearly all the Ravenclaws, Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs cheered as the three boys carried their young charges to the locker room. Robbie grinned at the three, "I guess it's unnecessary to say so, but _you_ three are officially on the team. For life."

--

The triplets left the lockers first, only being allowed to leave once they promised to stay at the party for a little while and to at least have a butterbeer that Gus promised his brother would nick from the kitchens. The Ravenclaws had not even gotten close to a Quidditch Cup in a very long time and they were very excited.

The triplets didn't need to say anything to each other as they walked out of the locker room because they were all thinking the same thing: do better next time.

But as soon as they walked outside they were standing in front of the Weasleys, Cedric and Oliver who all just grinned wildly for a momeny before they all started to talk at once. Rolling her eyes, Adelaide raised a hand, "Turns," she said dramatically.

Charlie grabbed her by the waist, spinning her around and kissing her cheek with a loud, "mwah". "_You_, my little Addie, were _incredible_! I wanted to hex Appel to oblivion when he shoved you, but Merlin!"

Oliver winked at Adelaide before turning to Neil, "And _you_ Neil! Those saves were amazing!"

Bill shook his head at Jack, "Gee, Jack, if only you could have had some impressive flying skills," he kept a serious face for only a second before he broke into a broad smile, "I'm surprised the league just doesn't sign you _now_."

They continued to compliment the triplets and recount the best parts as they walked back up to the castle and Adelaide made a conscience effort to remind herself that she would be playing against Charlie, dodging Bludgers from Bill and shooting against Oliver next match, something that would be very, very difficult. But her efforts only lasted a second because she was loving the compliments her best and oldest friends were pouring on her.

Oliver and Percy said one more time how impressed they were before they walked into the castle, followed shortly by Bill (who had spotted his newest conquest). Charlie clapped Cedric, Jack and Neil on the back, telling Jack and Neil he wished he was nearly as good at Quidditch as they were when he was that young and then kissed Adelaide on top of her head telling her one more time how proud he was, how thrilled he was she played dirty, how the whole school knew now that it didn't matter that she was a girl, something he had known all along. And with a little tug of her short ponytail, he walked into the castle.

Jack and Neil shook their heads, confused, but Cedric gave Adelaide, his undisputed best friend a hug: he liked Jack and Neil just fine and they got along well enough and he was proud of them, but Adelaide had been his dearest friend from his first day at St. Ottery, _she_ had been the one to get him out of his shyness-shell and _she_ was the one who made him want to be a better Quidditch player. "Addie!" he grinned as he hugged her, "you were _great_!"

And as they walked up to the door, Adelaide started to ask _him_ if he was going to try out for next year's team and he tried not to roll his eyes. It was so typical of her to _not_ want to talk about herself. And soon he was explaining to his three oldest friends how he was going to try out for Seeker, the only open position for next year. It had been their day, but they were making Cedric feel as though it had really been his all along.

--

No one had said much about Hogwarts' first and only triplets except during the Sorting, but that changed after the epic Ravenclaw/Slytherin match. Older students who usually do not fraternize with first years were congratulating them, asking them who their coaches and trainers were, where they learned to fly like that. Even the Gryffindors, who should have been ignoring them since they were their next opponents, could not leave the triplets alone. Some of the professors even had a few (subtle, of course) nice things to say. Everyone but the Slytherins would not leave the triplets alone.

When Jack and Adelaide, who never allowed the praise to get to their heads, saw Neil's ego growing, they would put him in his place. "We still have to play Gryffindor and you know they're pretty good," and "You still let in three goals," usually deflated his ego.

While the entire team was determined to practice hard so they could do their best against the older and more experienced Gryffindors whom Josh had called a "well-oiled machine" (which no one else on the team understood), it was the triplets who set the pace of the practices. Robbie was amused to find that the triplets were not lenient and soft: by doing their best, they forced the entire team to do their best.

The triplets were slightly on edge the days leading up to the match. And no one blamed them: all the Ravenclaws were nervous and excited, but the triplets now had expectations that they themselves had set, to live up to. Cedric, noticing that Adelaide was especially quiet and contemplative, made a point of cornering her after dinner.

"Addie, you know you can't lie to me," he replied after she denied anything was bothering her. "Come on, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm playing against Charlie and Bill, Ceddie! And Oliver too! What if I lose focus or something? What if I make a bad shot or mess up?" She looked up at him, brushing her short dirty-blonde hair away from her cheeks, her pale grey eyes expressing her fears.

Cedric wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her to him. "Addie! You're going to do fine! I _know_ that you can focus and you'll have to if you ever plan on playing against me or the twins or Ginny! Now, come on, you're going to do fine!"

She nodded as he released her and she tried to smile, "Thanks, Ceddie."

Robbie knew that the triplets were nervous so he gave them bits of advice and encouragement throughout the day. But it was Josh who gave them the best advice at their last practice, "Just ignore them, kids (this was what te entire House had been calling the triplets since 'Wonderkids' and 'The Amazing Three' etc. were too long, 'The Kids' had stuck instead), pretend that they _aren't_ you're good friends, just some random Gryffindor's that are your _opponents_ that you need to defeat."

Breakfast on the morning of the match was a quiet affair. But when Charlie came over, things got tense: he stood behind Adelaide, smiling at the three, not noticing their blank expressions. "Hey, you three, good luck today, all right?" He pulled Adelaide's hair like he always did and kissed her cheek, walking away and not caring that none of them had wished _him_ any luck.

It wasn't until the Ravenclaw team was getting up to leave when Adelaide noticed Charlie pull the ponytail of a Gryffindor girl and watched in shock as the blonde kissed _his_ cheek. Looking over she saw two girls wishing Oliver good luck, although he didn't receive any kisses. She didn't know _what_ came over her, but as they walked out of the Hall as a team, Adelaide was _determined_ to defeat Gryffindor.

Adelaide knew that once she got on the pitch all she would think about would be Quidditch, so for now she had the same thoughts running through her head: Charlie only pulled her hair, it was their thing, and he was _ruining_ it and that she was _glad_ she wasn't one of those stupid girls that wished boys good luck. The only girls _she_ liked were the Ravenclaws on her team and in her year and the others she didn't care for.

She was going to show _everyone_ that she wasn't your typical girl.

--

"And, ladies and gents - and Slytherins - here we are at the final Quidditch match of the season, the battle for the Cup, the two best teams of the year, the older, more experienced and last-year's champs, the Gryffindors -" there was a loud, collective cheer from the Gryffindor stands, "and this year's surprise team, the underdogs, the Ravenclaws!" There was an even louder cheer from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff stands and before Jacob could continue announcing, a cheer of "Ki-ids, ki-ids, ki-ids," reverberated around the stadium. The triplets, however, ignored it as they remained focused, mounting their brooms and kicking off to wait for Madame Hooch's whistle.

"Well, apparently the Ravenclaws have chosen a nickname for the Hayworth Triplet Wonders, 'The Kids', although I think the _Daily Prophet _will find that utterly boring and so, if there is anyone from the _Daily Prophet_ here today, I am copyrighting all of the nicknames that you hear today. Yes, Professor, sorry. Anyway, let's see what these three triplets can do when faced against neighbors and mentors Charlie and Bill Weasley."

There was a moment of silence as everyone waited with bated breath as the whistle blew and with a fierce look of determination, Adelaide soared over Charlie's teammate, Gary, and swerved right in front of Charlie's fingertips, snatching the Quaffle and tossing it to Josh who was nearly on the otherside of the pitch. She dipped underneath a shocked Charlie, caught the Quaffle from Josh and swooping low, faked Oliver to toss the Quaffle through the center hoop.

The crowd went wild. "Ten points to Ravenclaw! Would you look at that? In all my years of watching Quidditch I have never seen that kind of shot - from underneath the Keeper! Unbelievable! Poor Weasley didn't even know what hit him when Hayworth snatched that Quaffle right from under his nose! And that pass to teammate Josh Hinkle - even he looks surprised to see she could throw that far! That girl has an arm!"

Adelaide didn't have time to revel in her glory or gloat over Charlie's surprised face: the game was still going on and she wanted to win. "Now, Smith has the ball, passes it to Clark, she holds on to it, oh, barely misses a bludger from Hyatt, passes it back to Weasley - and there's Bill, protecting his kin as charlie flies towards the hoop, Hayworth doesn't look scared - and Hayworth has stolen the Quaffle! Adelaide Hayworth has swiped the Quaffle from Charlie Weasley who is usually very protective - and Hayworth passes to Hinkle, who passes to Nancy Bertha who passes it back to - oh! And Weasley intercepts, dodges a bludger from Captain Grey, shoots and - blocked by Hayworth! I've said it before, but I'll say it again, that kid is a great Keeper!"

The match continued with very few goals scored for a while; Adelaide was able to score three more times with her new shot, what Jacob was now calling "The Hayworth Surprise Shot" (which he announced to the hidden-_Daily Prophet_ reporter he hoped was in the crowds that he was still working on a better name, but whatever he came up with, he was copyrighting, much to the chagrin of McGonagall). She managed to intercept the Quaffle, but Charlie was more aware of her now and she was unable to steal directly from him. He couldn't help but notice that she would occasionally glare at him, her pale grey eyes blazing with a passion he had never seen before.

Ravenclaw was winning by 10 points thanks to a recent "Hayworth Surprise Shot" when there was a roar from the crowd: Jack had caught the Snitch.

"And the Ravenclaws have done it! This ragtag, newbie, underground squad have defeated the Gryffindors, squashing their dreams of a third consecutive Cup! The Ravenclaws have won their first cup in nearly a decade and if these Hayworth kids continue to play like they have these past two matches, the Ravenclaws could be winning many more Cups!"

The entire House rushed the field to raise the entire team on their shoulders and in her excitement, Adelaide forgot how irritated she was with Charlie when the Gryffindor team came over to congratulate them. And even though they were disappointed, Oliver winked at Adelaide, making her blush slightly and Bill grinned, waving at the triplets; Charlie stood a few feet away, waving but trying to figure out what he had seen in Adelaide's eyes.

--

The rest of term was relatively uneventful: Bill was finalizing his post-Hogwarts career and was receiving numerous Howlers from Molly about the dangers of Egypt, much to the delight of Charlie and the triplets. Adelaide had told Cedric about how she had been mad that Charlie had pulled another girl's hair, but Cedric, having just turned 12, was just as confused. But Adelaide promised Cedric she didn't care anymore and was probably just nervous and anxious because of the match: things went back to normal for the most part since she rarely saw Charlie (he was busy studying for his O.W.L.s). The triplets went to support Cedric when he tried out for the Hufflepuff team: the Captain, a 6th year, wanted to get a head start on the season since Ravenclaw was losing no players and Gryffindor only two. Cedric was easily the best Seeker that was trying out and no one was surprised when he got the position. Already the younger years were talking about next year and how the matches were sure to be exciting what with the Hayworths, Cedric, Charlie and Oliver all playing against each other.

After Charlie had finished his exams, he went in search of the triplets; he had been unable to congratulate them on their win much less speak with them at all since the match because of his exams and prefect duties. And he especially wanted to talk with Adelaide. He finally found them in the Great Hall, even though lunch had long been over; they were sitting with Cedric and a few other first years he didn't recognize, presumably studying. "Hello, kids, Cedric," he smiled, amused by the glares he was receiving from the other students for interrupting their studies. "Just wanted to congratulate you three on a terrific match and -"

Jack put his hand up and motioned for them to go over to another table to their classmates could continue to study. Cedric remained where he was but Charlie whispered in his ear, "Congrats, Cedric! Seeker, eh? Well done!"

Neil grinned as he sat on the top of the table facing Charlie, "You were saying?"

"You guys played terrifically - the whole game - and even though we were opponents, I wasn't too mad we lost. You guys deserved it," he paused, glancing at Adelaide who was smiling as widely as her brothers. "And sorry I never said anything earlier, but O.W.L.s, you know."

Neil clapped Charlie on the back as he hopped off the table, "Thanks, mate. Glad you're not mad I blocked most of your shots."

Charlie rolled his eyes and grabbed Adelaide's arm before she too could walk back to her table, "Oi, where did you learn that shot, Addie?"

Adelaide shrugged, "I just did it."

Charlie's mouth dropped in complete shock; that had not been the answer he was expecting. "You had been practicing," he replied slowly, more of a statement than a question.

Adelaide bit her lip, trying not to smirk at Charlie's shocked expression, "No, that was the first time I did it." She pinched his arm, something she did to the twins, and walked back to her table to continue studying.

--


	3. Second Year

A/N: Thanks to WhizBel and abcd for reviewing!! So far, you're the only reviewers, so THANK YOU!!! :)

-------

_**Second Year**_

The triplets said goodbye to their friends as the train pulled into King's Cross. Adelaide gave Cymbelia and Norah a hug, promising to write them: Mia and Jessie were going to be visiting family for the summer and probably wouldn't have time to write.

Ginny ran up to Adelaide first, throwing herself at the older girl before her mother could stop her, but she let go just as quickly and flung herself at Bill as he had just walked off the train. The twins ran over to where their father was standing with both Weasleys and Diggorys: Raymond scooped up Adelaide as Mr. Weasley ruffled Neil's golden blonde hair and Mr. Diggory shook Jack's hand heartily.

"Looks like some people are the resident Hogwarts celebrities, huh?"

Jack rolled his eye at Mr. Diggory, "We're not celebrities!"

Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly as she gave the boy a hug before craning her neck to look for all of her children. Mr. Weasley's eyes twinkled, "What were they calling you, 'The Triplet Wonders'?"

"Percy wrote you?" Neil guessed and saw Percy and Oliver walk over.

Oliver said hello to the adults and then winking at Adelaide he said, "I'll see you three in a few weeks – hope you're ready with some new signature shots, Adelaide."

Adelaide tried not to blush as her father grinned at her, "Yes, of course, your little from-below shot, huh? Amos here let me know that even _Quidditch Quarterly_ has hears of this little shot of yours."

Jack and Neil both swatted her arms, "Told you no one had done it before!"

Adelaide blushed harder but was saved when Cedric and the twins ran over and everyone congratulated Cedric on his new position on the Hufflepuff team.

--

Sara had gone back to work part-time since the triplets were at Hogwarts, but since there were a few part-time jobs in the Ministry, especially in the Department of International Cooperation where she used to work, she took a part-time job as a Medi-witch at St. Mungo's. but she was home when everyone got back from King's Cross and was already setting food out on the magically-enlarged table in the backyard. "Mum!" the triplets nearly screeched and threw themselves at her as she kissed the tops of their heads.

"Look at you three!" she grinned, "Little Quidditch champions and – Jackie! Neil! You're grown!"

Adelaide frowned, having only just realized a few weeks earlier that not only Cedric, but now her brothers were taller then her and would only grow taller.

Percy and Cedric were giving a very detailed account of the epic Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match to Ginny, Ron and the twins who were all rapt with attention to the absolutely riveting tale, their eyes wide. Ron stuck his empty fork in his mouth and chewed, never even realizing he was not eating anything. The adults were listening too; Bill and Charlie were smiling and throwing in their two cents, but the triplets were trying not to blush as they continued to shove food in their mouths.

"And Neil blocked it, using the whipper-Catch and then he threw it _underneath_ Charlie and Gary and Adelaide caught it, missed Bill's bludger –"

"Bill!" Molly admonished, but Raymond laughed and patted her arm, nodding to Cedric to continue.

"Faked out Oliver and went around the hoop, pretended to pass to Josh –"

"But she still had it and from underneath Ollie, the Quidditch soared through the center hoop and she scored again!"

"Then, Jack, who was flying low around the pitch, suddenly shoots up rolling around both Bill and that other Beater – darts in front of Susan, zooms to the left of Gary and Charlie and snatches the snitch right from where it was flying around Oliver and the hoops."

The younger Weasleys clapped enthusiastically as the triplets glared at them, their parents laughing. Everyone was then asking them questions, Where did Jack learn to maneuver like that? How did Neil seem so unfazed by fake-outs? Where did Adelaide learn to do that shot and how could she throw that well? And how could they all be so quick on their used Cleansweeps? The triplets fielded the questions, but they really didn't have any answers except that they practiced a lot and Neil and Adelaide always knew where the other was so they could pass to each other; Jack just loved to fly elegantly.

--

The summer was relatively peaceful: Bill left two weeks later for Egypt, promising to write, to be careful, and to be home for Christmas. The twins were unusually well behaved, telling the triplets they were saving their pranks for school. Most of the days were spent playing Quidditch, swimming at the nearby lake and reading books.

Adelaide watched as her shirts got shorter and told her mother she'd just rather wear her brother's and Cedric's old shirts, who seemed to be growing a little everyday. Even the twins were nearly the same height as her. But she was just as quick and as strong as her brothers, Cedric and the twins, for now at least.

Sara knew that her only daughter liked being 'one of the boys' and hated when people considered her not as good or strong because she was a girl; she knew she had to prepare Adelaide for the upcoming years. So one afternoon, a few days before the start of term, she took Adelaide into the nearby Muggle village center for an ice cream for some mother-daughter bonding.

"Now, Addie, you know I love you and you know I hate it as much as you do that not everyone treats purebloods and Muggleborns and boys and girls the same, so I don't want you to get angry," she watched as her daughter's brow furrowed, not really knowing where her mother was going with this line of conversation as she took a lick of her ice cream. "But you need to understand a few things, okay? Now, I doubt your brothers or Cedric or the Weasleys will ever treat you any differently and maybe not many Quidditch players either, but pretty soon, girls in your year are going to start liking boys," she hesitated, wondering whether a nearly-12 year-old would understand, "or girls, and they are going to want to impress them, date them and they might act funny – and boys will do the same eventually, but probably not for a few more years. Now, don't worry, not everyone gets like this and won't happen for a little while, but sometimes some girls can be very silly. And Addie, honey, don't ever listen to anyone if they make fun of you, okay? You are who you are and it shouldn't matter who you're friends with."

Adelaide nodded and hugged her mother, but Sara wasn't finished. "And I don't want you to get mad when all the boys get taller and stronger – and yes, boys usually have more muscle, but you can be quicker then them and if you're strong too, they'll rarely be able to hurt you. But, Jack and Neil will be taller then you – maybe even taller then dad!"

Adelaide laughed. She understood what her mother was saying, but she wasn't quite sure _why_ her mother was telling her.

--

The twins had already made a friend by the time Adelaide and Cedric had stopped in to say hello. When they walked out, Cedric laughed, "Guess we don't have to worry, huh?" Adelaide saw Norah, Cymbelia, Mia and Jessie in a compartment and asked Cedric if he wanted to come in, but he said he'd rather say hello and then go find his year-mates Ewan, Stephen and Cook (Cook _hated_ his first name, Jared, and refused to respond to it).

"Hello everyone, how was your summers?"

Adelaide sat down as Norah and Mia answered quickly before Cedric excused himself, "See you girls later," he grinned, "bye, Addie."

Norah laughed teasingly as Cedric closed the door, "Addie, huh?"

Adelaide rolled her eyes at her friend, "It's called a nickname, Norah."

They were sharing stories about their summers and laughing until the train pulled into Hogsmeade. Adelaide took a deep breath as she stepped off the train and met up with her brothers, "Ah, another year."

--

No one was surprised when a pair of red-heads were put into Gryffindor, but Adelaide and Neil were surprised that said twins hadn't made any kind of commotion during the feast. Neil shrugged as he swallowed a huge gulp of pumpkin juice, "Probably waiting until tomorrow."

None of the Ravenclaws were pleased to see that they now had two classes with the SLytherins, although thankfully, one was still not Potions. By now the triplets had their favorite classes, but they still all received relatively the same scores in all of the courses. However, Adelaide tended to perform a little better in Potions: it didn't hurt that Snape didn't loathe her the way Charlie and Bill accused him of hating them. She was excited to see that she had Double Potions that very afternoon.

She walked into the classroom right after Professor Snape, "Hello, Professor, how was your summer?" He glanced at her, his black eyes cold for a moment but Adelaide saw the glimmer of a twinkle as he turned to walk around to his chair, "Satisfactory, Ms. Hayworth," he waved his hand gracefully, "if you please."

Still smiling, she sat down in the front, getting her things out when Cedric sat down next to her, flicking her arm through her robe. Her head snapped up, her shoulder-length hair flinging around her head ready to snap until she saw it was Cedric. "Ceddie!" She hissed and looked up, relieved, to see Snape wasn't paying any attention. Cedric rolled his eyes and awaited Snape's instructions. Cedric didn't mind Snape because he did relatively well in Potions as well, especially since Adelaide and he were partners when it was required. Snape tended to be less loathsome to the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, but Neil still did not like that much, if only out of blind loyalty to Bill, Charlie and Oliver.

Snape walked around the dungeon, doling out snide and exasperated comments, but when he got to Adelaide's near-completed brew, he nodded, "Not bad, Hayworth," and walked off.

It was the nicest comment of the whole lesson.

--

The Weasley twins, much to the annoyance of Percy and Jack had begun to wreak havoc on the castle: commotions in the halls, a loud friendship with Peeves, disturbances in the Great Hall. Adelaide pointed out that everything was harmless and Neil _loved_ it, thinking it was great fun, but the noise and commotion bothered the studious and diligent Jack who could no longer read during meals.

One afternoon when the triplets were walking back to the castle, the twins ran up to them waving their arms and yelling incoherently. Grumbling, Jack walked faster and as he passed them, shouted, "I don't want to know!"

"What's wrong with Jackie-boy?" George frowned, watching as he walked towards the castle.

Fred didn't give the remaining Hayworths a chance to respond as he grabbed Adelaide's hadn and pulled her towards the lake, "Come on we have to show you!" The twins pulled them in front of a large boulder next to the lake so they were hidden from the castle. "Watch," he said breathlessly before saying a few words that Adelaide could barely understand as she watched him tap his wand to a shoddy-looking piece of paper.

"Merlin!" Neil gasped as he and his sister watched with wide eyes as black ink started to creep across the page.

Adelaide looked up at Fred, "What is this?"

Fred was still grinning , his blue-hazel eyes twinkling with mischief, "It calls itself the Marauder's Map and it shows where everyone in the castle is where they are walking towards –"

"Wait," Neil shook his head, chuckling nervously, "what do you mean it _calls itself_."

The twins grinned at each other before George answered, "Well, we had to figure out _how_ to use it, it didn't we?"

"Took a long time, too. Good thing we're smarter then Filch, otherwise he would have been using it for _years_."

Neil and Adelaide shook their heads again and demanded that the twins explain, from the _beginning_, how they came to possess such a map.

"Do you know what this means?" Fred asked excitedly.

"Besides that we can get to Zonko's or Honeyduke's whenever we want?" Neil answered with as much excitement.

"We'll never get caught!"

Adelaide laughed, "But everyone will still know it was you!"

"But they can't give us detention without proof! Fred was indignant and George continued, "That would be illegal, wouldn't it?"

Adelaide looked over the map, "Well, whoever these Marauder's are, they must be _very_ pleased that someone worthy is using it."

Neil agreed, "And using it for _worthy_ reasons."

The next morning at breakfast, Adelaide and Neil stopped the twins as they were walking out the Great Hall, "And? How did last night's uh, activities go?"

Fred didn't falter, "Well, we've decided to beat the record for most detentions –"

"And by default, we want the most filing cabinets dedicated to our 'disturbances' –"

"Annoyances –"

"Castle-wide chaos –"

Adelaide stared pointedly at Fred who swallowed his next word. "So we need to have more than these blokes from a few years back, James Potter and Sirius Black.

Neil thought for a moment, "Potter and Black, eh? Maybe related to the Boy-Who-Lived? And isn't the other in Azkaban?"

"Well," Fred frowned, "they had other names on a few of their detention slops and –"

"Azkaban, huh?" Adelaide ignored Fred, her eyes giving away her amusement as she teased the twins."

"It wasn't for pranking!" George called out as Neil and Adelaide walked out of the Great Hall, ignoring the twins. George looked at his twin, "Right?"

--

Adelaide was thankful that the first match of the season was between Slytherin and Hufflepuff although she felt bad for poor Cedric. She waved at him at breakfast, aware that he was eating with his team, but she couldn't help but run up to him as they walked out of the Great Hall, "Ced!" she yelled, and he paused, turning towards her. She grabbed his hand and squeezed, "Ceddie," she said quietly, using the nickname she always used for him. "You're going to do _great_. Just breath, okay?" She smiled, "And don't be scared, all right?"

Cedric nodded and squeezed her hand, turning to smile, "Thanks, Addie."

She smiled and pushed him lightly so he could catch up with his teammates.

Adelaide sat between her brothers, ignoring the conversation that her friends were engaged in the row behind her. She was too anxious for her best friend. She wanted to sit with Charlie, Oliver, Percy and the twins, so that they could all watch Cedric's first game together, but she doubted any of them as anxious as she was.

Jack leaned over to whisper discreetly in her ear, "Would you stop fidgeting? You're worse than the twins." He smiled to himself as Adelaide stuck her tongue out at him: he always knew how to take her mind off things.

Jack had considered himself the most perceptive of the triplets; most saw him as the quiet, contemplative triplet compared to the loud jock (Neil) and rash bully (Adelaide). But it was Jack who knew people were hiding something, especially his siblings; he knew that Adelaide was nervous for her best friend, but even at 12 he knew it was something more than that. Jack decided to keep that thought to himself, knowing it would do more harm then good and instead used his perceptive powers to help his sister to calm down. They might all know how to push each other's buttons and cheer each other up, but it was Jack who knew when either of his siblings was hiding something.

He smiled to himself, pleased, as Adelaide's leg stopped bouncing up and down, her grip on his hand loosened and her face relaxed slightly as she watched Cedric fly around the pitch. Everything was going to be fine.

--

Adelaide watched, grinning as the Hufflepuff team carried Cedric off the field on their shoulders: he had caught the Snitch right from under the Slytherin Seeker's nose. Her friends waited for her to walk back to the castle but she told them to go ahead; she was going to wait for Cedric. She was disappointed to see that her brothers weren't going to wait with her, but Jack assured her they'd see Cedric later.

She waited outside the locker room, pulling her blue and black scarf tighter around her neck, trying to not be angry when she didn't, see any of the Weasleys. It had been Cedric's first game! Where were they? She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around, completely startled.

Oliver was grinning, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling, "Didn't mean to scare you, Adelaide. Waiting for Diggory?"

Adelaide nodded, trying to calm down from her surprise, "Wanted to congratulate him – he was really nervous before."

Oliver continued to smile and glanced towards the door of the locker room, "He's a good Quidditch player," he paused, "don't know where those Weasleys ran off to."

Adelaide sighed, "At least _you're_ being a good friend," she said quietly.

Oliver could only chuckle quietly before Cedric emerged from the locker rooms staring straight at Adelaide and grinning. "I _did_ it, Addie!"

--

The twins were torn: who should they root for at the next match? Their older, favorite brother, and their friend and housemate or their three good friends who always made time for them at school, who (sometimes) helped them with pranks? (Well, make that two good friends and one friend who didn't bother to reprimand them). They couldn't be traitors to their house, but they couldn't _not_ root for the Hayworths…

Fred sighed, "Well, good thing there's two of us."

George groaned, "Can't we just _lie_?"

Fred thought for a moment, "We will have to wish them all good luck."

"What do you reckon _Percy_ does?" They leaned over the table and made disgruntled noises when they saw Percy engrossed in a book.

Lee chuckled, "You two are idiots. Just wish them luck now – look there's Oliver – he's at their table."

The twins spun around in their seats, "Well, fancy that," Fred muttered.

Adelaide didn't notice her slightly older housemates staring hopelessly at the Scottish Keeper as he wished the triplets good luck. And she didn't notice the glares she was receiving when Oliver added, "And I hope you've got some _new_ shots, Adelaide. I think I'm going to be able to stop those infamous underneath the shots, yeah?"

Adelaide grinned, "Just wait, Ollie," she said, emphasizing the nickname Charlie and Bill often used, one she knew he _really_ didn't appreciate.

He punched her shoulder playfully and winking, walked off. Adelaide turned back around and saw Cymbelia's green eyes twinkling. "Looks like Mary and her friends were a little jealous."

Adelaide barely opened her mouth to question what they were jealous of when Neil said hello to the twins.

"Now, we don't want to be traitors or anything," Fred began.

"But _good_ luck, Neil, JackJack, and Addie," George finished. Fred patted Adelaide's shoulder and the two walked off, twirling their noisemakers as they went before receiving a menacing glare from McGonagall.

Robbie stood up with a word and nodded to his teammates.

It was time to show the school that last year's match was _not_ a fluke.

--

"Today's match is sure to be a crowd pleaser, isn't it? Ravenclaw has the same line-up as last season, the only House _not_ to lose any players and the question on _everyone's_ mind, can they defend the Cup? Are they as good as last season or was it all a fluke?"

Lee turned towards the twins, "That was more then one question."

"And for the Gryffindors, do they stand a chance?"

Charlie winked at Adelaide from across the pitch; throwing her shoulder-length hair into a hasty ponytail, she rolled her eyes at him. She knew he was smug: he thought he knew all her tricks. She nodded to Josh and Nancy who both tried to hide their grins: they had been practicing. The Gryffindors would never what hit them.

Poor Oliver was being bombarded with tough shots and tons of fakes; his teammates weren't much help. The Ravenclaw Chasers had been working hard on their tactics and when it seemed like they would throw or bunch the Quidditch to open air, one of the Chasers would fly out of seemingly nowhere to shoot.

"Hinkle has attempted Hayworth's underneath shot – although, sorry Hinkle, not as gracefully or as effectively – and Hayworth has the Quaffle and let's see what she'll do – passes to – no! She hasn't passed, leans to her left, throws the Quaffle and Merlin, look at the Quaffle curve! And Wood misses – 10 points for Ravenclaw! Another _fantastic_ shot by Hufflepuff, yet again, something we've never seen here on this pitch before. The question on everyone's mind is whether Hayworth will be introducing a new shot every season or what."

Adelaide flew past Charlie, "Impressed?"

Jack caught the snitch not five minutes later – Ravenclaw won by a staggering amount and would be playing Hufflepuff for the Cup come spring. Slytherin and Gryffindor had lost by too much to qualify.

--

The Christmas holidays came and went: Ron and Ginny were devastated to see everyone leave again (George didn't help when he reminded Ron he'd have to wait another year and Ginny another 2).

Two weeks before the match against Hufflepuff, Adelaide sat down next to Cedric at dinner, much to his surprise. Ignoring his friends, he turned to face her, "Addie?" He touched her arm worriedly.

She smiled sadly, "Ceddie," she spoke softly, "we're best friends, right?"

"Course, course."

"Well, you know that Quidditch is just a game and I _hate_ that we have to play against each other and – "

Cedric smiled, his hazele eyes clearing of their initial concern, "Addie, Addie, come on, we aren't going to hate each other or anything, it's not life or death."

Adelaide let out a soft chuckle, brushing her hair out of her face, "I know that of course, but Jack and Neil," she paused when Cedric nodded, understanding what she was saying. "I don't know how they'll react, but, well, you're good friends with them of course, but –"

Cedric slung his arm around her and tugged her small body against his slightly larger on, handing her his cup of pumpkin juice, "Say no more, Addie, I know exactly what you're trying to say."

--

The match lasted much longer than any other the triplets had played in. It was a tight match: the Hufflepuff Keeper was in top form against Adelaide, and Neil was playing just as well. Jack had finally met his match in Cedric and Jacob mentioned this frequently: they were both excellent flyers. But finally, it was Jack who snagged the Snitch by his fingertip, Cedric right alongside him.

Adelaide was relieved, therefore, when Jack and Neil didn't gloat in front of Cedric and were instead acting like good friends. She, however, excused herself from the locker room early to find him.

Oliver had gotten to Cedric first and she watched as the twins and Cedric's year-mates walk over to talk with him and console him. Smiling grimly, she managed a wave to Cedric who, his lips set in a thin line, nodded: he understood that she would talk with him later and was allowing his other friends to try their hands at consoling him first. She knew it was the right thing to do, to wait, but she wanted nothing more than to talk with her best friend.

--

This chapter ends rather abruptly, but I was tired of their second year…..

PLEASE REVIEW!!


	4. Third Year

_**Third Year**_

Cedric and his parents went on a very long holiday that summer much to the displeasure of nearly everyone. "Do you have to go?" Adelaide frowned.

"Yea, who's going to play Seeker?"

"Who's going to entertain Ron?"

"Oi! I heard that!"

Cedric frowned at his friends, "We're visiting family in America and I _have_ to go. Dad got tons of time off so –"

"And Oliver's not coming this summer either!" Fred pouted.

Cedric sighed, rubbing his arm, something he did when he was upset or uncomfortable, "I have to go pack – we leave in the morning." He stood up and wiped the twigs and grass off his shorts.

Adelaide jumped up and threw her arms around him, "Bye, Ceddie, You'll write, won't you?"

Cedric chuckled, "You're my best friend, aren't you?"

--

Adelaide didn't see Cedric when she, her brothers and the Weasleys boarded the Hogwarts Express, but she barely got a chance to even wonder where he could be because her dear friend and year-mate, Cymbelia, was pulling her to a compartment. Cymbelia had gotten taller and her platinum blonde hair had gotten longer and wavier too; "Come on, you have to see Mira – she's," Cymbelia paused, "developed."

Adelaide was confused, "Developed what? A speech impediment? Learning disability?"

Cymbelia laughed until she saw Adelaide was being serious, "You'll see," her green eyes danced, "and Jessie is wearing make-up!"

Adelaide looked at her friend, horrified, but didn't get to voice her horror because they had stopped at the compartment door.

Cymbelia was right: Mia had developed over the summer. "Merlin, Mia! You're chest!"

Mira grinned and stuck out her chest even more, "I know, right?"

At first uncomfortable, Adelaide was pleased that Cymbelia and Norah were teasing Mia and Jessie mercilessly for their new assets and make-up respectively. Jessie only huffed and would complain, "Well, have you seen those 4th year Hufflepuffs? Or the Slytherins? I'm only wearing a _little_ because my eyes are so plain!"

Adelaide and Norah were going to retort when the compartment door opened and Adelaide smiled broadly, "Oliver! How was your summer?"

Oliver grinned back, running an easy hand through his thick, dark brown hair, "Boring. But I suppose anything would be compared to St. Ottery, eh?" He paused, still looking at Adelaide before continuing, "You hear Slytherin's got a new Keeper?"

Adelaide thought for a moment, unaware of the intense gaze Oliver had while he watched her, his brown eyes scanning over her face, "No, I didn't, I forgot that Belbin graduated. Why? He good?"

It took Oliver a second to frown, having been staring at her so intently, he forgot they were talking, "Charlie says he overheard that he's real good – might give Neil and I some competition," he hesitated and then grinned again, "has Charlie been wearing that badge around all the time?"

"For weeks," Adelaide laughed, "I think Neil's down a few doors with Jack and some others, if you were looking for him," she added.

Oliver hesitated for a second, "Oh, right, thanks, Adelaide –"

There was a cough from one of her friends and then Mia was saying in a voice Adelaide had never heard her use before, "Adelaide, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Adelaide gave Oliver confused a look which made him smile slightly, "Jessie, Norah, Cymbelia, Mia, this is Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Keeper and an old friend – he stays with the Weasleys nearly every summer."

Olive nodded at Adelaide's friends and then said, "Well, lovely to meet you all, see you later, Adelaide," and with one final smile and a quick wink, he left.

"Adelaide! He's gorgeous!" Mia gushed, "And that accent!"

"He's Scottish."

"But he's so handsome! How can you _stand_ it?"

Adelaide turned to Neil who merely shrugged, "He's my friend."

"And he _winked_ at you!" Jessie spoke up.

Adelaide rolled her eyes, "You two are ridiculous! You know I've been friends with him!"

Mia scoffed, "But we never knew how handsome he was! What other handsome men have you been hiding?"

Adelaide soon grew tired of teasing Mia and Jessie, tired of listening to them go on about Oliver and eventually about other "attractive" boys in older years, including Charlie and a few other Quidditch players. Why were Mia and Jessie so obsessed with boys now? Because they had breasts and were wearing make-up? Nancy rarely wore make-up that Adelaide had noticed, thinking of the only older girl she really was friends with. Was she obsessed with boys too? Adelaide remembered that Janet, Josh's ex-girlfriend had quit the team partially because of him, which seemed ridiculous to Adelaide in her first year and still seemed ridiculous now. Josh was a good friend and a good Quidditch player, but Adelaide wouldn't call him _cute_. What made certain boys cute anyway? Adelaide had to admit that yes, Oliver was obviously pleasant looking, he wasn't repulsive like most of the Slytherins, but she wasn't about to go fawning over him, was she? She felt a blush creep up her neck when she remembered how Cedric and her brothers would give her odd glances when she would colour when Oliver would wink at her, but she chided herself. She only was confused because Oliver winked at her before they were even good friends, and wasn't winking something people did when they were well acquainted? She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, forcing herself to stop thinking about winking and try to focus on the topic at hand; what made Oliver and Charlie and the older boys more attractive to Mia and Jessie? 'Must be because they're older' she thought to herself, 'and because they don't know them like I do.' Satisfied with her answer she began to wonder where Cedric was and if she was ever going to see him before the feast when her eyes darted to the glass window at the door and jumped up, grinning. She swung open the door to reveal Cedric grinning just as widely. "Ceddie!" She threw her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug that would rival one of Mrs. Weasley's infamous squeezes.

Cedric let out a hearty laugh, "Addie!" He replied just as excitedly and put his chin on the top of her head, "Have you shrunk or have I gotten that much taller?"

Adelaide tried to frown but she couldn't help but smile when she pulled back a little to look at Cedric clearly. The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly he was smiling so broadly, his hazel eyes twinkling. "I've been walking up and down this entire train looking for you! And then of course, I ran into Shaw (the new Hufflepuff Captain) and the twins and your brothers," he trailed off when Adelaide rolled her eyes slightly and he laughed letting her go so she could drag him to a seat.

"Oh, excuses, excuses. How was America ?"

Cedric glanced over her shoulder at the other occupants of the compartment, "Hello, guys," he smiled, "I was on holiday in America for a few weeks," he shrugged. "And little Adelaide here has missed me terribly," he laughed when she hit his arm, "how were your summers?"

Mia and Jessie murmured responses and Norah grinned, "It was fine, thanks, Cedric. Boring compared to America , I'm sure." Adelaide sat back slightly so Cedric could tell everyone about his holiday, albeit begrudgingly. She wanted to her best friend to herself and didn't want to share him, especially with Mia and Jessie. Although she wasn't worried they'd think he was cute – it was Cedric for Merlin's sake! He was in their year! In their classes!

Cedric began to talk, mostly looking directly at Adelaide , but occasionally glancing around the compartment. Cymbelia glanced over at Mia, who was staring at Cedric with a ghost of a smile on her lips and she nudged her foot violently. Mia looked over, about to protest when Cymbela gave her a threatening look. Adelaide and Cedric didn't hear the slight commotion but Norah looked over, and seeing Norah's glare nodded her head at Mia. Norah and Cymbelia were more sensible than Mia and Jessie (this was not the first time Norah had wondered how Mia had gotten into Ravenclaw when she was clearly neither sensible nor entirely clever) and knew that Adelaide would have a fit if she knew her year-mates thought Cedric attractive. Cymbelia could not deny that Cedric was very nice to look at and was rather intelligent, but she wasn't about to ogle him like Mia and Jessie were. She knew that if the pair didn't quit it soon, the five would not be able to keep such civil terms; Norah, Cymbelia and Adelaide had no time for silly, superficial talk with Mia and Jessie and knew her two friends would not miss such talk if it came down to it. But for the sanity of her year-mates she wished Mia and Jessie would soon tire of being boy-crazy and would come to their senses. Living arrangements between the five and lessons would be most annoying and awkward if Norah, Cymbelia and Adelaide ceased talking to the other two girls.

Adelaide was laughing now as Cedric confessed that at points he was so bored being with just his parents that he even "missed Percy and Ron!" Adelaide hit his shoulder playfully, "Oh, you like Ron. And I know you don't mind Percy." Adelaide continued, "Well, St. Ottery wasn't much better you know – the twins were going crazy, Neil was off his rocker, Percy was a pain and Charlie was showing off his Head Boy badge. And my best friend was in America!"

Cedric swung his arm around her shoulder and whispered, "Why are your two friends and staring at me?" He looked frightened and Adelaide tried to cover a laugh.

"Well, they probably think you're cute."

Cedric stared at her, his hazel eyes large and horrified, "What? Why?"

She groaned, "They're wearing make-up and being all _girly_," she grimaced, "they made me introduce them to Oliver because they thought he was cute."

Adelaide couldn't decipher what passed over Cedric's face, so she ignored it when Cedric said, "Well, the twins said Bill started to like girls in his 3rd year –"

"But Charlie –"

Cedric shrugged, "Just ignore them, Addie," he smiled, "they're just being daft. Besides, we don't have time for this sort of thing, do we?"

Thankfully, Mia and Jessie didn't get a chance to say anything when Cedric left because Cymbelia spoke first, "All right you two this is how it's going to work. We are not as interested in boys as you are – we are friends with them especially Adelaide because she grew up with them and they are her best friends, _not_ her boyfriends, got it? So you will say _nothing_ to us about who's cute ok? We don't want to hear it."

Mia and Jessie just nodded when Cedric was finished and Adelaide whispered, "Thanks, Cymbelia."

Cymbelia shrugged, "I couldn't handle it either."

--

Charlie sidled up next to his little brother, "What's wrong with my new Beater? I didn't think you'd have any nerves."

Fred pushed his toast around his plate with his fingers, "I just, don't want to hurt anybody."

Charlie laughed, "Now I doubt that, Fred, you weren't afraid to hurt anyone at practice."

Fred frowned, "I just don't want to hurt her."

Now Charlie was most confused, "Sorry, who do we _not_ want to hurt?"

"Adelaide," he whispered.

"Wait, wait, you've played against her for years and –" he paused, "Fred, do you _like_ her?"

"What? No!"

Charlie bit back a laugh, "Fred, come on, she's one of your oldest friends and now your opponent. You're going to have to set aside your feelings and play your best. I did, didn't I?"

Fred nodded, "All right, fine. But I _don't_ like her."

Charlie held up his hands, "Got it."

--

It was a close match, but in the end, the Weasley twins were much more in sync then Timothy and Riley, the new Ravenclaw Beaters. It was the first match Ravenclaw had lost since the triplets had first played, a point that Lee Jordan made sure to make.

Josh, the new captain, made sure that no one blamed anyone: they were a _team_, weren't they? And they lost together. They still had a chance at the Cup, so they just needed to practice, practice, practice for their upcoming match against Hufflepuff.

Jack took the loss pretty hard and Neil and Adelaide knew it was best to let him wallow for a little while. Adelaide and Neil shrugged the loss off, knowing they'd have to lose sometime.

That night at dinner, Fred approached her. "I'm sorry."

She turned, taking a bite of her pie, cocking her head slightly and looking into Fred's concerned, blue-hazel eyes. "Sorry? About what?" She cocked an eyebrow, "What did you and George do now?"

Fred looked confused, "No, no, I'm sorry that you guys lost."

Adelaide smiled, "Fred, cut it out, you guys played better then us, you deserved to win. No hard feelings, huh?"

Fred tried to smile, "I _am_ sorry though."

Adelaide took another bite of her pie, "Stop, Freddie, we're going to be playing each other a lot, right? So one of us is going to have to win," she smiled, "so don't be sorry."

Fred smiled and walked back to his table. Before Mia knew what she was doing she blurted out, "He has _such_ a crush on you."

--

Charlie found her sitting in one of the hallways after dinner as he was walking to meet up with Quinn, the Head Girl, for their weekly meeting. She was frowning, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to concentrate on the book that was resting against her legs. Charlie continued to walk towards her as he watched her place the soles of her feet on the ground to prop her legs up so her book was closer to her face; he noted that although her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes were racing across the large pages, her lips were not moving as Percy's often did when he needed to focus. He tried to smile, but he hadn't seen her this depressed-looking since – well, he couldn't remember if he had ever seen her this depressed. And suddenly, he felt awful: he had watched her grow up, they had been great friends and then he went off to school and suddenly everything had changed. He had promised her when he left those seven summers ago that she would continue to be "his little Addie", they would still be good friends and that she could tell him everything. But his letters had grown infrequent and even when he would return in the summers he didn't see her or confide in her as much as he used. He had gotten older and even though he never thought it explicitly, had outgrown their childish friendship. And here she was, now a teenager, and he felt like he didn't know her at all.

"Hey, Addie, are you all right?" He watched, his deep blue-green eyes concerned, as she looked up, her pale grey eyes wide and sad. He sat down next to her, brushing her dirty blonde, shoulder-length hair behind her ear. "Your hair's never been this long."

She cracked a small smile, "Easier to pull back for matches," she hesitated, "you like it? Think it's too girly?"

Charlie appraised her face for a moment, trying to figure out what answer she wanted to her, not wanting her apparent sadness to increase. "I don't think it's too girly, no," he responded, "Ginny's long. Mom wants to make sure everyone knows there's finally a girl in the Weasley family."

Adelaide's smile grew, as Charlie knew it would; Ginny being the only Weasley girl in centuries – possibly ever – was a common joke amongst the St. Ottery families. "You like it though?"

Charlie pulled at it, "It's easier to pull, so yea." He hesitated as she looked across the hall, staring at the large painting of a large, slumbering dragon. "Not so scary when they're sleeping, eh?"

Adelaide snorted, "And a painting, sure."

Charlie ignored her snide comment, "You didn't answer my question, Addie. Are you all right?"

She didn't respond and instead looked down at her book. Sighing, Charlie pulled it off her legs and ignored her exasperated sigh, "Addie, I know I haven't been a very good friend lately," he paused, "well, in a long while," he ran a hand through his thick, short golden-red hair, "and I have no excuse, Addie. I miss being your confidant. I miss my little Addie," he leaned towards her so she was nearly forced to look him in the eye, but she kept her gaze on the painting despite his intrusion on her personal space. "I didn't mean to at first, of course, Hogwarts was so overwhelming and I got so caught up in it, and then Cedric moved-in, and I got caught up with work, with Quidditch, and I got older," he took a long breath, "and I guess I just figured it would be better for both of us to be friends with more people our own age."

She looked at him, her face blank, but her eyes betraying her true emotions: sadness, relief at his confession, hope. "I understand, Charlie. But you know as well as I that we are still friends," she paused, her eyes searching his briefly before continuing, "I missed you too."

"I feel awful, Addie," he smiled, "can we just pick up where we left off? Being old chums again?"

Adelaide sighed dramatically, her eyes twinkling slightly, "I don't know. I don't know if I can possibly fit you in to my already busy life. Quidditch and lessons and all. And you're Head Boy! And a 7th year! I wouldn't want to take time away from your N.E.W.T.s!"

Charlie laughed and slung his arm over her shoulder as she rested her head comfortably on his arm, "Stop it, you twit. Now come on, you're not going to get off that easy. Tell ol' Charlie what's wrong."

Adelaide groaned, "Nothing, Charlie, I'm fine."

Charlie pulled her hair lightly, "Liar."

He waited for her to speak, knowing she was mulling over her words carefully. He may have not been as good a friend as he had once been, but he still knew her. "Charlie, do you have a girlfriend?"

Charlie let out a laugh, causing Adelaide to sit back up and look at him, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Addie, if I had a girlfriend, undoubtedly you'd know if only because the twins wouldn't give me peace of mind."

Adelaide didn't falter and continued, "But, you like girls? You've had girlfriends before?" 

Charlie cocked his head, confused, " Adelaide, what is this about?"

She crossed her arms, "Evading the question," she said in her best impression of Percy.

"I've had friends that are girls, yes, you being one of them. But have I ever gone steady with a girl? No. Yes, I like girls, but I don't really have time for a steady girlfriend or anything, and besides, most of the girls I know my age are afraid of dragons and other creatures and didn't like Quidditch as much." He hesitated, looking at her questioningly, "What is this about, Addie?"

"Mia and Jessie are obsessed with boys. And a lot of older boys like Mia, because well, because she's," Charlie watched as her cheeks coloured slightly, "because she _looks_ older. But they think Cedric and Fred like me and they always want me to introduce them to Oliver," she paused as though she suddenly remembered something, "and you too! They're always saying how I'm hiding all these cute boys from them because I want them for myself," she finished, grumbling. "_And_ they say that girls and boys can't just be friends."

Charlie tried not to smile at Adelaide 's ruffled and harried expression. "Addie, they're just upset because they aren't friends with boys. They know that boys only like them because of their looks and don't want to be friends with them because they're silly and vain. And you're _my_ friend, aren't you? And you are friends with the twins and Percy and Ron and Bill and Cedric and Ollie and the boys in your year and the boys on the team, right? So Mia and Jessie are just being silly, jealous little girls. Don't listen to them. I'm sure, one day, plenty of boys will have crushes on you," he teased, clucking her under the chin, causing her to smile. "Because you're smart and beautiful and you don't take anything from anyone. And you're a loyal friend," he grinned, "and you're bloody good at Quidditch."

Adelaide tried to repress her own grin, "I don't want boys to have crushes on me. I don't want a boyfriend."

"And you don't have to have one if you don't need one, Addie. I don't have a girlfriend and I'm a 7th year. And your friends think I'm good looking," he laughed as Adelaide swatted at his arm, "Oliver doesn't have a girlfriend, and Bill only did because he's Bill and a little ridiculous, isn't he? You don't have to have a boyfriend if you don't want one." He paused, "And I doubt the boys and your brothers will allow any boyfriend of yours to live very long anyway," he chuckled more to himself then anything, imagining all of the Weasleys boys, Cedric and the two Hayworths (and probably any other boy who saw Adelaide as a sister or dear friend), pummeling some poor unsuspecting twit.

Adelaide laughed, "If I like him, you lot wouldn't dare cross me."

Charlie laughed too and pulled her towards him, his arm around her shoulder again and squeezing her small frame against his own larger one. "You going to be all right?" She nodded and satisfied he replied, "Mia and Jessie are twits." He squeezed her one last time before standing up, "Even if I'm somewhere far away gallivanting with dragons," Adelaide grinned as Charlie used the phrase his mother so often used to describe her distaste for Charlie's true passion, "we'll still be best friends, Addie." He bent down quickly to pull her hair and then walked off down the hall, whistling and shaking her head, Adelaide picked up her forgotten book and walked off towards her common room.

--

The Hayworths and Diggorys always went to the Burrow on Boxing Day, but this year, before Adelaide could even welcome Bill home from Egypt. Charlie had pulled her up to his room. Laughing and grimacing simultaneously, she flexed her fingers when he finally let hold of his grip, "What's so bloody important you needed to nearly break my fingers to tell me?" 

"Language, young lady!" Charlie admonished before grinning, "You can't tell anyone. You have to swear."

She eyed him suspiciously, "Merlin, all right, I swear. Now, what?" 

"I got a job –" 

"Charlie that's great but why –"

"In Romania ! At the Reserve!"

Adelaide let out a squeal and threw herself at him, "Charlie! That's great!"

True to her word Adelaide didn't tell a soul, and it wasn't until Charlie had finished his final year as Head Boy, Quidditch Captain and had both the Quidditch and House Cups to inform his parents. His mother was devastated and Arthur put on a disappointed front for the benefit of his wife, but in private, he was terribly proud and made sure Charlie knew that his whole family supported him, even if they thought it was dangerous.

--

Please review! 4th year will be probably be longer…I'm writing it now.


	5. Fourth Year

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them! And I know that my grammar is terrible and I've been making tons and tons of mistakes with names and things but that's because I'm handwriting this first (at work, whoops) and then typing it up usually while watching TV so I don't always catch mistakes and a lot of times I'll abbreviate names and since everyone apparently has a name that starts with 'C' or 'N'….yea, you see my problem. I'm just laaazzzzy.

Thanks for reviewing though! Enjoy this chapter!!

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_**Fourth Year – First Term**_

Charlie left for Romania the first of August, promising to write and to do his best to make it home for Christmas. He said goodbye to each of his siblings, the triplets and Cedric, but he saved his final and longest farewell for Adelaide , instructing her to write to him all the time and to tell him everything. She promised not to leave anything out, only if he would do the same.

Adelaide tried to hide her dampened spirits from her friends and siblings the days following Charlie's departure, but Jack and Cedric knew better. Even Fred noticed the change in her demeanor. Jack let her be, Cedric attempted to spend more time with her and Fred simply joked with her more: he let her help him prank Percy and George (she refused to prank Ron too much), let her help him invent and create some new jokes, weaved inventive and colorful stories for her benefit and told her secrets.

They were hiding behind the large hedges outside the Burrow, poking at the gnomes with large sticks when Fred looked at her seriously. "I want to open a joke shop."

She looked over at him, confused by this confession. "You mean, start your own joke shop?"

"With George of course – we haven't really discussed it, but we've been inventing and creating for ages and –"

"Fred, that's great! I think you guys could do it, without a doubt! But," she paused, "why are you telling me this?" She looked around, "In the hedges?"

"Well, I know that you were sad that Charlie left and – we're good friends, aren't we, Addie?"

Adelaide looked at him searchingly at the sudden change in his appearance; his face grew more serious, his eyes bluer than usual and Adelaide could see how hopeful and worried he looked. She smiled slowly and dropped her gnome-poking stick and wrapped her arms around him, "Course we are, Freddie. I mean, I forgive all those times you called me a girl," she teased, bringing up a subject she knew made him uncomfortable and she told him to "shut it" when he tried to apologize for his toddler years. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but you didn't have to. I know Charlie was your favorite," she paused and picked up her stick again as she let Fred go out of her bone-crushing hug. "But thanks for sharing your secret with me." 

Fred pointed his stick at her chest, "And don't you tell anyone!" He warned before he yelped when a gnome poked him with a small, pointy stick.

--

A few days before Hogwarts letters came, Adelaide got an owl from Cymbelia:

_Adelaide - _

_Norah just wrote me and told me to tell you since she didn't have time to write two letters, but apparently this Muggle boy she became friends with this summer kissed her! She said it was very peculiar, very quick because then she punched him in the face. She wasn't expecting it and doesn't like him! She's going to tell us all about it on the train – only not in front of Mia and Jessie of course. Norah said apparently Mia is dating that 6__th__ year Hufflepuff, what's his name? John or Jim or something? Can't wait to hear about that too. (Joking)._

_See you soon!_

_Cym_

Adelaide groaned but didn't show anyone the letter, thinking it better if no one found out about Norah's first kiss or Mia's older boyfriend.

It came as a big surprise to everyone when Neil's letter proclaimed him to be Quidditch Captain, although no one was extremely surprised when Percy was made Prefect.

Adelaide and Jack were pleased to see Neil's new badge, knowing that Neil would be a fantastic, fair and tough captain. And to be a captain in only your 4th year! It was probably a first for the House and maybe even the school (according to the twins who were not an entirely valid source).

Ron, however, wondered if they weren't jealous of their brother and voiced his question to the twins who merely laughed at him and called him "Ronnekins". Percy reminded Ron that the triplets were never jealous of each other and Ron, blushing, had murmured,

"Oh, right," although he wasn't entirely convinced. Wasn't he sometimes jealous of Bill? Weren't the twins jealous when Charlie was made Quidditch Captain? But Ginny reminded him that the twins were never jealous of each other. And Ron wondered when his baby sister had gotten so wise.

--

Fourth year began just as third year, although this time Adelaide and Cedric made sure to check up on Ron and were introduced to the one and only 'Boy-Who-Lived' whom they had heard about not only from their parents but from various Wizarding publications as well. (There were articles at least once a year, buried deep within magazines or _The Prophet_ questioning where the boy was now, who was bringing him up, if he were even still alive, etc.). The two made sure to keep their surprise to themselves until they were out of the compartment; they doubted even Ron understood who he was, being either too young or too daft to remember reading or hearing about him. "The Harry Potter," Adelaide said quietly to Cedric who nodded eagerly. "Who knew?"

Cedric shook his head, "And Ron's chums with him now. Fancy that."

Adelaide was relieved that Mia and Jessie were not sitting in the compartment she was sharing with her two other year-mates. She didn't need any more teasing or questions regarding Cedric, Oliver or Fred.

--

Adelaide and Jack tried to keep straight faces at try-outs; they only had to replace Josh Hinkle, the previous Captain and a great Chaser, but it seemed as though every Ravenclaw in the younger years as well as a few nervous-looking older students had shown up, eager to show Neil (and ultimately his siblings as well) how fantastic they were at Quidditch. "Seems like all the first years think they've got a shot since Potter didn't even have to tryout for Gryffindor," Jack murmured to his sister as he tried not to laugh as a first year nearly screamed for fear as his feet left the ground.

"Oliver's said he flew spectacularly__during their flying lesson, McGonagall spotted him, introduced Potter to Oliver, and once he saw him fly and catch the Snitch, didn't even bother to hold try-outs. Said Potter was the best Seeker anyone could hope for," she watched Jack's eyes flash dangerously, "after you and Cedric, course," she tried not to smile knowingly.

"He never said that," Jack murmured.

"Did too," she smiled slyly as she looked back out towards the Pitch, waiting for Neil to ask her and Nancy to throw the Quaffle around with their potential teammates. "Looks like Neil isn't the only one with a big ego, hm?"

Jack sputtered, "Oh, cut it out, will you, Addie. You know I don't have an ego." He meant to continue defending himself, but Adelaide shook her head laughing and he bit his lip, knowing full well he should have known she was teasing him.

After what felt like hours, Neil finally declared Alec the newest member of the team: he had been the best Chaser who had tried out, and Neil was confident that after a few practices, he would be as good as Josh had been. Neil, Jack and Adelaide all congratulated Alec as they walked back to the castle, thrilled to finally have a year-mate on the team.

--

Adelaide strolled into the Great Hall for lunch, thoroughly pleased to see that Mia and Jessie were not sitting with Norah and Cymbelia. The girls had been getting worse, teasing and taunting their year-mates, chiding them for studying so much, telling them they should be worried about what the boys thought of them, etc. etc. Their patience was getting thin; so it was a relief to see that they weren't sitting at the Ravenclaw table at all. Norah nodded her head towards the Hufflepuff table, "Flirting with the older boys," she mumbled.

"What happened to that boyfriend of hers?" Cymbelia asked as she took a swallow of her pumpkin juice.

Adelaide rolled her eyes, "Do you really care, Cym?" Cymbelia laughed in agreement. Adelaide couldn't have cared less who Mia was dating or wasn't dating; Neil had them practicing hard and she was taking extra courses compared to the other fourth years. And she wasn't wasting her free time concerning herself with the torrid (or non-existent) affairs of Mia or Jessie.

--

Adelaide waited outside the locker room as the Gryffindor team started to trickle out. "Oliver!" She jogged up to him.

"Oi, Adelaide , spying on our practices?"

Adelaide rolled her eyes, "Please, Oliver, like you haven't watched us practice? And no, I only came to see that Potter fly," she grinned, holding her short hair away from her face as the brisk wind whipped at it. "You were right. He's a bloody good Seeker."

Oliver swung his broom over his shoulder, "Yea," he grinned, his brown eyes crinkling in amusement, "not much of a secret though, is he? Not like you lot were that first match."

They walked back to the castle talking about Potter and Quidditch when Oliver turned to her, " Adelaide , were you," he hesitated, "I mean, I doubt you were mad, but did you care that Neil was made Captain?"

Adelaide stole a glance at him, confused as to why he'd be asking such a strange question; she thought it obvious that neither she nor Jack cared that Neil was made Captain over them. "No. I was really pleased, actually. He's a much better Captain anyway. Doesn't get angry quickly, patient with us when we muck up. And you know just as well as I that Jack wouldn't make a good Captain, too demanding and quiet, would probably expect too much of everyone. He'll make a better Prefect. Neil's more," she thought for a moment, "realistic, I suppose."

Oliver smiled at her response, "You don't want to be a Prefect like our darling Percy?"

She glared at him, only causing him to laugh as he shifted his broom to his other shoulder. "No, I don't want to be a Prefect like Percy, or Charlie or Bill for that matter," she added, "and anyway, Dumbledore wouldn't make us both Prefects. Would seem rather, I don't know, like nepotism I suppose." She smiled slyly, "I'm much too busy with all my courses and Quidditch and getting prepared for O.W.L.s anyway," she hesitated but Oliver knew where she was going with this.

"No, no, don't even you _mention_ O.W.L.s. I know you're just like those other mental Ravenclaws, but not everyone is as excited for them as you, especially when you've got loads more homework than the previous year," he stared at her, daring her to continue the topic, but she knew his stony stare was all an act.

She waved her hand, "Fine, fine, I won't mention them to you again. I'm sure Percy is giving you enough grief about them anyway."

"Don't know why he wasn't made a Ravenclaw," Oliver mumbled more to himself than anything before he continued, "I could see you being a very good prefect anyway, Adelaide ." She waited for him to elaborate, raising an eyebrow. "Aye," he continued, "you're too quick with a wand and that mouth. You'd be docking points and hexing people before they had a chance to explain."

Adelaide hit his arm indignantly as he let out a hearty laugh as they finally reached the castle door, "Oliver!" But she started to laugh too. She _knew_ he was right.

--

The weather for the first match of the season could not have been more brutal: dark, intermittent drizzle, foggy and brutally brisk for November. The game itself was just as brutal: the poor Hufflepuff Keeper, Cedric's year-mate, Cook, was doing his best, but Hufflepuff was barely keeping pace with Gryffindor. Everyone's breath in the pitch seemed to stop, even Jordan Lee was quiet as they watched Cedric and Harry race around the pitch. Harry came out the victor, wrapping his small fingers around the snitch as he barely pulled ahead of the older boy. Lee started to yell into the microphone, declaring that they all had witnessed a bit of history; a first Seeker, with no previous flying nor Quidditch experience, had caught a Snitch in his very first match… Adelaide had stopped listening as she watched Jack, grumbling, leave the pitch. She shook her head at Neil; it would be best if they left him alone.

Neil and Adelaide waited for Cedric and Cook outside the locker room: Ewan and Stephen, Cedric's year-mates had run back to the castle, not wanting to get stuck in the rain that was undoubtedly about to fall. Adelaide grinned at Cook as he and Cedric finally emerged, "Well, done, Cook! The Gryffindor Chasers are pretty handy with the Quaffle and you played really well!" Cook thanked her quietly, obviously not agreeing with her optimistic evaluation of his performance. Neil laughed and clapped Cook on the back before they walked away, Neil's encouragement and advice to the 'Art of Keeping' as he liked to call it, lost to the wind and the increasing intensity of the rain as they walked away.

Adelaide grinned at Cedric, "Well done," she said loudly so he could hear her as he walked towards her, "considering Potter's got a good broom and is pretty naturally talented."

Cedric smiled too and Adelaide was assured that he wasn't too upset with his performance, taking it in stride like she knew he would. She pulled the hood of her heavy coat over her head and turned towards the castle, Cedric beside her. She looked over at him and sighed, "Don't you have a hood? You're getting soaked!"

His hazel eyes crinkled slightly as he laughed and squinted as the rain ran down his face, "Addie, you know I like the rain."

She rolled her eyes playfully and bit her lip to prevent her from reprimanding him from "effectually drinking dinosaur piss" as Percy had once told them thanks to a Muggle book he had gotten a hold of, when Cedric tilted his head back dramatically, to stick his tongue out. She grabbed his hand after a moment to pull him towards the castle when they heard a voice shout from behind them, "Oi! Diggory! Your gloves!"

A very tall and broad-shouldered boy with wet, black hair bounded up to them. He handed Cedric his Quidditch gloves, grinning at the boy before turning his eyes towards Adelaide . She hadn't noticed the rain was letting up slightly. Without looking back at Cedric, "Aren't you going to introduce me to the famous Adelaide Hayworth?"

"Oh, right," Cedric started. He shouldn't have been surprised that his teammate, let alone anyone in the school knew who Adelaide or any of the triplets were: they were the only triplets of Hogwarts, he reminded himself, and they had been playing Quidditch for three years, were friends of the Weasleys…but he _was_ surprised to see that Callum knew who Adelaide was almost immediately. Still trying to sort his harried thoughts he said, " Adelaide , this is Callum Westcott, a 5th year and our new Chaser. Callum, this is my oldest and best friend, Adelaide Hayworth."

Callum shook her hand and Adelaide noted that it was firm yet gentle and _warm_. (She told herself she was only surprised to feel it was warm because it was so cold and wet out. Why else would it be surprising?) "It's a pleasure to meet you, Adelaide ; I can only wish that I can be half the Chaser you are."

Cedric noticed Adelaide blush faintly, something she only did when she was mad or angry. But she sure didn't seem mad or angry now. "Please, Callum," she said, smiling slightly, "you played very well today. Everyone was impressed."

He inclined his head towards her and Cedric was confused to see him wink, his dark eyes twinkling, "But were _you_ impressed, Adelaide ?" Cedric turned his eyes towards Adelaide and watched as she opened her mouth, faltering slightly. Now Cedric was terribly confused; Adelaide always had an answer or retort on her tongue ready to spit out; only Charlie and her brothers could ever make her hesitate like that. "You're the best Chaser," he continued as though he was explaining his last comment, "and your approval is the only one I truly want."

Cedric was relieved to see Adelaide smile confidently now as she raised an eyebrow quickly. "I thought you played very well, Callum," she paused as she watched his face break into a grin, his dark green eyes laughing. "Now, Callum, if you excuse us, Cedric and I should get back to the castle before it starts to rain again."

Callum nodded, "Must grab my broom anyway – wouldn't want to be the reason either of you get sick. How would that look? A star Seeker and Chaser getting sick on my account. I'd be hexed."

Adelaide laughed as she turned around, pulling on Cedric's arm. "See you around, Cedric. Adelaide ," he finished and waved before turning to run back to the locker room.

Cedric turned towards Adelaide as they continued to walk up towards the castle. "You all right?"

Adelaide looked at him, confused, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Cedric shrugged, "Dunno, you just seemed a little," he paused, afraid she might fly off the handle or not. "You're a little pink. And, well, you and Callum were talking kinda funny."

Adelaide laughed, "Cedric, I don't know what you're talking about. It's a bit chilly, isn't it? And I was talking to Callum same way I talk to everyone else." She tugged on his arm, "Now, come on. I stole the Map from the twins so we can steal into the kitchens.

Cedric shook his head trying to clear his mind of the odd scene he had just witnessed. Adelaide was probably right; they were just talking normally, it was just Callum that was acting rather strangely he supposed. And Adelaide wouldn't have gotten mad at him if he had something, but he decided to keep his sudden realization that Callum probably liked her to himself. It wasn't Cedric's right to tell her something that didn't concern her, especially if it wasn't life threatening. So they walked to the painting of the pear, consulting the Map on their way there, and Cedric and Adelaide enjoyed their time there talking of Quidditch, of lessons, of Charlie's latest letter, of the twins' latest prank and anything else they could think of while they drank the hot cocoa and ate the tiny sandwiches the elves handed them excitedly before Adelaide announced she had "mounds of work" to finish before the end of the weekend. To which Cedric had teasingly replied, "You mean before the end of the term."

With a playful swat to his arm and a ruffle of her hair, they exited the kitchens and walked to their respective Houses.

--

Adelaide tried to hide her displeasure when she saw Mia and Jessie chatting with Cymbelia and Norah; although at a closer look, it was obvious that both Cymbelia and Norah were uncomfortable with the arrangement, their lips pressed into thin lines. Ever since the end of last term, things with the five year-mates had been testy: Mia and Jessie continued to flirt excessively, flaunt themselves and tease not only Adelaide but Norah and Cymbelia as well.

After her chat with Charlie, Adelaide had gotten better at ignoring the girls, although there were a few times when Jack and Neil had to hold her back and cover her mouth. Mia and Jessie had moved on to Cymbelia and Norah who although had always been on good terms with the boys in their year, had managed to avoid the other girls' taunting.

Adelaide glanced around the common room and saw Neil, Alec and Brendan all looking anxiously over at the girls. Neil shrugged at his sister and she knew he was answering both questions her eyes were conveying: Jack was still in their dormitory and he had no idea what was going on but it did not look promising. She caught Cymbelia's eyes before perching herself on the arm of the plush chair Norah was sitting in. Her back and shoulders were tense as the tall girl sat straight against the back, her right hand gripping the other arm and Adelaide knew that her blue-hazel eyes were probably blazing.

Adelaide looked to Jessie who was sitting quietly: she rarely said anything and only ever put her two cents in every once in a while, usually only smiling and nodding when Mia would taunt everyone. She was Mia's little pet, anxious to get boys to like her and so tried to emanate her "best friend". She, unlike Mia, had been unsuccessful so far in "snagging" a boyfriend. Norah had overheard her once explain that she believed herself to be "so plain" and having "very little chance" of dating anyone attractive: the girls only assumed that she was hoping that acting like Mia could get her a boy. Now Jessie was wearing too-tight jeans and a lime green v-neck sweater with garish amounts of make-up on her face. She was smiling and had Adelaide known any better, she would have thought her stupid.

Adelaide had long learned to try and avoid looking anywhere below Mia's chin although this was often difficult since Adelaide was shorter. The girl often wore ridiculously scandalous outfits on weekends or wore her skirt shorter and her blouse with fewer buttoned buttons; it was bad enough Adelaide was forced to look at her make-up-heavy face. Once upon a time Mia had been extremely pretty but her natural beauty was lost beneath what Adelaide could only estimate was pounds of make-up, staring at the girl's ear. Adelaide finally listened in on what the girl was saying.

" – Oh, I've seen you eyeing him, trying to chat you up," the annoying, grating voice paused briefly but Adelaide didn't bother to figure out why. "Oh, do you not want Adelaide to know? Afraid she'll get mad? But come, that's silly she won't mind – she's probably too busy with Cedric or Oliver or one of those dreadful Weasley twins." Adelaide slowly clenched her first. "But Norah, you're so pretty, isn't she Jess? Yes, you could get lots of boys, if you only wore make-up or looked a bit more girly?"

"A bit more girly?" Norah said stiffly through clenched teeth as though she were trying to keep her more hateful words at bay, "My hair's longer than _yours_, isn't it?"

Mia laughed, "Oh, but that means nothing! Dumbledore has long hair!" She paused again and Adelaide put her hand on Norah's shoulder. Now Mia turned to Cymbelia, "And Cym, why don't you have a boyfriend?"

Adelaide tried to repress a laugh as Cymbelia raised a challenging eyebrow, her green eyes menacing, "Because I'm 14."

Mia, however, did not catch on, "Right and you're so pretty and very delicate looking," she turned to Adelaide before Cymbelia could argue. "And Adelaide, where were you before? With your secret boyfriend? Your precious Cedric? Your older Oliver? Or were you writing to your rugged Dragon Keeper?" Adelaide made the mistake of looking at Mia's face, her large smirk plastered on her recently-chubby and overly-done face.

And she _lost_ it. Before anyone could stop her, before Neil or the others could hold her back, had leapt up seething, her grey eyes blazing, her face centimeters from Mia's. "I have had enough of you," she said coldly and Jessie gave an involuntary shudder from next to her; Mia was frozen in fear. Adelaide's voice was deadly calm and deadly threatening her anger and annoyance evident. "You are a foolish _girl_," her eyes sparked a little, "I think that's something you forget, Mia. You're a _girl_. You're 14. If you are too silly to be friends with boys, _fine_, don't be friends with them. But we," she motioned to Norah and Cymbelia," _are_. And we will continue to be friends with boys. And if we don't want to have boyfriends, we won't. We won't wear make-up if we don't want to. We'll kiss boys or girls whenever we want, whenever we feel ready to, got it? And if you were really, _truly_ our friends, you wouldn't tease or give us a hard time about these things. You've had your chance. We aren't friends anymore, got it? We are _through_. We don't have time for boy-crazy, silly, foolish girls like you two."

Adelaide pushed her hands against the edge of the couch she was leaning against; she raised a challenging eyebrow and sat back down on the arm of the chair she was originally sitting on. She looked away as Mia and Jessie walked off without a word.

Nora looked up at her in bewilderment, "Wow."

Adelaide frowned as she regained her composure and realized what she had just said. "Merlin, sorry –"

Cymbelia sat down on the other arm of the chair, "No, seriously, if you didn't, I was going to –"

"I feel bad," Adelaide mumbled, only lying to herself slightly.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around into Neil's grinning face, "I'm shocked you didn't bite her head off."

Alec and Brendan came and stood in front of the chair. "Was about time," Alex muttered, "had it coming, she did."

"Jack and Mark sure aren't going to be pleased they missed _that_," Brendan remarked.

Adelaide looked between Norah and Cymbelia who both shrugged. "Sooner or later," Cymbelia agreed.

"You _were_ pretty reserved."

Adelaide felt awful for less than a few hours. The next day at lunch, Jessie and Mia were attempting to chat up some older Slytherins, apparently unfazed by Adelaide's reserved-outburst. And try as he might to be disappointed by his sister's behavior, Jack couldn't help but be utterly relieved.

--

Adelaide walked with Jack down to the Greenhouses from Ancient Runes (which none of their friends were taking). She _liked_ being outside and she understood how important Herbology was for Potions and Healing, but she could never really get a good grasp of it; she was convinced that the Magical Plants had it out or her. She still did well in the course, but it was by far her worst (she didn't count Divination which she and Jack had gladly dropped at the start of term). Jack rolled his eyes at her but he soon started to grumble too. Looking out across the lawn Adelaide laughed as she adjusted the heavy bag on her shoulder, "Oi! Ron!"

Adelaide watched as Ron's bright red hair shot up, before he started waving excitedly, "Adelaide! Jack!"

Adelaide waited a second, giving Ron an opportunity, knowing he wouldn't, before she winked at Ron's two friends, "Aren't you going to introduce us, Ronnie?"

Ron's ears turned a lovely shade of red, "Oh, right! Adelaide and Jack Hayworth, this is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."

Adelaide stuck out her hand, grinning, "We met briefly on the train. You played brilliantly at the match," she smiled as Harry's bright green eyes grew wide as she continued, "Ol' Jackie-boy here is excited for some competition. You, he and Cedric are some pretty fantastic Seekers."

Harry swallowed looking nervously between the two older students, "Ron's told us _all_ about you," he looked at Jack who couldn't help but smile at the compliment. "Wood too. And the twins," he finished, looking between the two again before Jack shook his hand.

Adelaide turned towards the short, bushy-haired girl and shook her gloved hand, "Any friends of Ron's are friends of ours," she grinned.

Jack shook her hand quickly and exchanging pleasantries before finishing, "All right you lot – go in. It's cold and we've got Herbology – precious Addie's favorite subject." Adelaide stuck her tongue out at her brother before she turned around and waved to the three first years.

Ron grinned before coughing when he saw his friends' confused faces, "I told you they were old friends, didn't I? And they're Ravenclaws – bloody smart, all of them."

Hermione was not easily convinced as she said airily, "And they're friends with the twins."

"And Percy too!" Ron answered, picking up his pace, figuring _that_ would convince her.

It did.

--

Adelaide was relieved when Sprout informed them they'd be working in groups of four and equally relieved when the bouncing bulb was set before Neil, Alec, Brendan and herself. Norah shot her a playfully jealous look: Brendan was the top Herbology student in Ravenclaw and Neil and Alec weren't half-bad either. Adelaide stuck her tongue out at her friend who was partnered with Jack, Cymbelia and Mark; Jessie and Mia were with two of the Slytherins. Adelaide tried not to swear when the bouncing bulb snapped at her and bumped her hand. Rolling up his sleeves dramatically, Alec wrestled it to hold it still so Brendan could "work his magic"; Neil of course helped too as Adelaide tried to help and stay out of the way at the same time. They were lucky they had Alec, probably the biggest of the boys on their group: the other teams were not fairing as well.

As they walked back to the castle, Neil pulled Adelaide and Alec aside to "talk strategy". "I was reviewing some plays –" he started and Adelaide tried to stifle a laugh as Alec threw her a comically exasperated look.

"You were reading _Quidditch Weekly_," he interjected.

Neil rolled his eyes, "And I saw that Muggle sports magazine Mark had and I think you two should start playing football."

"Sorry?"

"No, no, I mean you two should start kicking a football around, practicing kicking really far and stuff – some Chasers do it!" He protested, "Marlene Jacobs and Paul McKellan kick around a ball in case they have to kick the Quaffle into the hoops!"

Alec turned to Adelaide who eyes him and then nodded slightly, "What about Norah?"

"Said she's played a few times as a kid but she doesn't have as much time after practice because of N.E.W.T.s and no – Addie, you _will_ have time. Don't forget, I'm your captain. And _yes_, I'll be there too. I need to practice kicking as well for my Keeping."

Adelaide sighed, "Better be worth it, Neil."

--

Neil's intuition paid off. Their first match against Slytherin was abnormally rough: the all-male team seemed to determine to knock as many players of their brooms as they could. The crowd and Lee Jordan would shove and run into the Ravenclaw players when Hooch was looking elsewhere.

And Adelaide was the easiest and most sought after target: she was the smallest and best Chaser. Although she was fast enough to dodge a Bludger, there always seemed to be a large Slytherin waiting to attempt to knock her off her broom. She had only managed to make a few shots because of these illegal attacks and tried to keep her angry from clouding her vision. She knew that if she let herself get too angry she would start playing erratically.

She tried not to wince: she didn't want the Slytherins to know they were causing her pain, although anyone could guess. They were twice, three times her size in height, weight and sheer muscle mass; she never stood a chance. She knew she would have bruises, but she hoped that her _entire_ body wouldn't become one large purple bruise. She was never one to taunt her opponents, rather keeping her mouth quiet and letting her shots, interceptions and passes do the talking and she would ignore the taunts that were frequently thrown at her, but today was different. Soon she found herself circling Mason's head and saying snidely, "That the best you got, you prat? Haven't even knocked me off my arse yet."

She regretted it almost immediately as she flew away to position herself for a pass from Nancy or Alec; Mason was one of those Slytherins that did not do well with taunts. He was easy to anger and was a very large boy with broad shoulders and bulky biceps that the crowd could even see rippling under his robes. She didn't hear him flying behind her as she maneuvered towards the hoops, dodging two Bludgers that were sent towards her. She watched Alec as he looked over towards her and knew he would pass to her; flying about again she tried to anticipate where Alec would throw the ball. What she didn't anticipate was Mason knocking into her from behind.

She felt her broom being pushed down behind her and she griped on to the broom fiercely as her eyes widened in fear and surprise. She turned her head around to see Mason grinning maniacally as he used his left hand to push down on her broom. She willed her broom to move forward but Mason was holding on too tight. With a sudden and fierce push he released the broom only to ram into her left side. She rocked dangerously but held on. He rammed into her again, this time with more force. Suddenly, she rolled off her broom, her legs and feet dangling in mid-air, her gloved hands twisting to get a better grip on the broom handle. There was a whishing her ears and she didn't hear the crowd collectively gasp, nor did she hear Mason laughing; all she saw was Mason flying backwards behind her and she was terrified that he would fly towards her again to ram into her, to crush her fingers, to knock her entirely off her broom. But then she looked up and saw the Quaffle coming towards her. She didn't know when Alec had thrown the it, didn't know why it was flying so far below her, didn't know where she was in relationship to the hoops until she glanced to her left and saw them. She pulled on her broom slightly to lower herself and pulling back her right leg, she swung at the Quaffle, her laces hitting right in the center. It soared throw the air towards the hoops with great speed and a fantastic spin. The entire pitch was quiet as everyone watched the Quaffle bend towards the hoops. Adelaide 's leg swung across her body from the momentum and speed she had swung at the Quaffle and as she watched it soar through the hoop closest to her, and as the noise of the crowd hit her ears, she felt her foot smack into something hard. Looking to her left, she saw Mason clutching his face, screaming curses and flying towards the ground blindly. Pulling herself up with great effort she felt her arms ache and scream in protest, her bruises probably in her bones and deep within her muscles and her right leg shook with the reverberation of Mason's face.

Settling herself back onto the broom, she watched as Mason was escorted off the pitch, but ignored it. Hooch wasn't going to give him or herself any penalties because she had undoubtedly not seen anything that took place. "Adelaide Hayworth scores – with her foot! For all you in the know, that move looked very much as though she has been practicing it on a football field. And there goes Mason, off the pitch. Pity he won't get a penalty, but I'm sure a broken nose and the shame he'll not doubt feel for causing Hayworth to score – yes, sorry Professor, but you must – yes, yes, fine," Lee's voice trailed off as the Quaffle was put into play again.

Adelaide attempted not to wince as her aching body protested as she started to fly again, nor to smirk at the Slytherins and instead glared up at Jack. He nodded, knowing full well she was saying, "In the name of Merlin, hurry the bloody hell up."

--

Adelaide sat on one of the benches in the locker room thankful that everyone but her brothers had left. She had suffered through the congratulatory hugs and claps on the backs and then the apologies and questions if she was 'all right' and 'didn't she want to go the Hospital Wing'. Neil had finally ordered everyone out and Adelaide began to gingerly peel off her robes, her aching shoulders and back making it very difficult and painful. Neil went to help her and she said quietly to Jack, "They'll all be waiting out there for me, won't they?" She didn't give him time to answer; she knew they would. "Can you tell them I'm fine, really, and I don't want to go to the Hospital Wing and –"

Jack nodded and stood up next to her as Neil set her robes down, "Don't worry, Addie, I've got it under control."

She smiled gratefully at her brothers and began to peel off her shirt, wincing. She took in a sharp breath as she successfully got her arms free when the door to the locker room opened and closed loudly. Adelaide wanted to turn around to see who was coming in, but she couldn't move her body. Neil stood up from where he was putting on his own robes, "Oi! Oliver! What do you think you're doing in here?" Adelaide was surprised to hear the unfriendly tone in Neil's voice. "Addie, put a shirt on!"

Adelaide went to argue with Neil that she was wearing a bra and it was just as though she were swimming, but instead she took in a sharp breath when she moved her arm to grab her shirt that was lying next to her on the bench. Oliver glared at Neil and she felt him sit down next to her, "Addie, I've got the best bruise salve in the League. Keepers use it all the time." She watched him open the jar and dip his fingers into the lavender-colored gel. "It'll make you feel a lot better, I promise."

Adelaide nodded but Neil protested, "Oliver, you can't –"

"Neil, shut up, it hurts," she hissed at him coldly. Oliver's fingers gently touched Adelaide 's arm where she was certain there was a giant bruise and she let out a soft whimper. She meant to thank Oliver, but she couldn't; biting her lip she closed her eyes as she willed her body to relax as Oliver's large hands continued to deftly rub the salve into her bruises. He moved up her arm, onto her shoulder and across her upper back before moving over to her other shoulder.

Oliver tried to concentrate on what he was doing, on helping to heal Adelaide 's gruesome bruises and tried to ignore her involuntary shivers, the quiet noises that were escaping her as he moved his hands over her back. This was Adelaide . And he was Oliver. He was helping her. Helping a friend. A friend who was wearing only a bra, but a friend. He swallowed hard and let his hands fall from her as he picked up a towel to wipe his fingers off. Neil coughed and nodded his head at Adelaide to put her shirt back on, but she ignored him, aggravated over his sudden and foolish protectiveness. "Oliver,_ thank you_," she whispered, her pale grey eyes staring into his brown ones.

He swallowed again, trying to regain his composure. This was Adelaide ! He was her friend! He was the neighbor and best friends of all the Weasleys, he's dear friends and Housemates! He had helped Adelaide out before with things! He had stared into her beautiful, grey eyes…

"No problem, Adelaide . Figured you'd be pretty banged up. Was a pretty rough game."

She smiled gratefully as she pulled her shirt over her head with greater ease. "Thanks, Oliver. It really worked!" She grinned and stood up, pulling on Neil's old too-small Muggle jacket. "Nothing even hurts anymore!" She grabbed her broom and was going to sling it over her shoulder when Oliver put his hand over hers, smiling like he always did.

" Adelaide , let me take that, eh? You might not hurt anymore, but you're still going to be a little sore," he winked at her and smiling she followed him out of the locker room, Neil right behind them, nearly forgetten.

Oliver held his hand up when they exited the locker room for everyone to be quiet and Jack shrugged sheepishly at his sister, "They wouldn't leave?"

Adelaide rolled her eyes at the twins and Cedric, "I'm fine! Merlin you'd think no one in the history of Quidditch had gotten knocked around before," she laughed and turned to look at Oliver. Grinning wolfishly she grabbed her broom from him, using her wand to levitate it and began to walk up to the castle, Cedric talking quickly beside her, the twins hot on her heels, her brothers behind them. She turned her head briefly and winked at him, catching him completely off-guard. That was something he always did to her, not something she did back! He started to walk back up to, repeating a mantra in his head: ' Adelaide is your friend! You don't have time for girls! Charlie never had time for girls and he never complained! Adelaide is your friend! She's a Hayworth! Practically Charlie and Percy and Bill and the twin's sister!'

--

Adelaide had not thought too much of her brief introduction to Callum; he said hello to her when he saw her and there were the few occasions when he would ask her about Quidditch, but that was all. Until, of course, she left the Great Hall the day of the match.

She had to threaten the twins to go to their own tables; Cedric and Oliver had been more agreeable (Oliver, of course, was trying to rid his mind of the feel of her skin, the color of her hair that had been pulled back off her neck…) and had to wave Percy away when he stood up. Norah, Cymbelia, Mark and Brendan all started talking at once when she finally sat down, her brothers on either side of her and Adelaide was thankful when Alec, Riley and Timothy, who were sitting on the other side of Neil told them to 'let up, she's fine'. Once everyone was quiet about her injuries, Jack informed her lowly that she was on the receiving end of numerous glares from the Slytherins. Adelaide shrugged; it wasn't the first the she'd been hated by the Slytherins.

Adelaide managed to convince her friends that she was, indeed, perfectly capable of walking to the library by herself, and to remind them that, yes, she had some work she wanted to finish as it was the last week of classes before the holidays; she breathed a sigh of relief as they permitted her (albeit grudgingly) to leave the Great Hall by herself. She was barely out of the Hall, however, when someone said behind her, " Adelaide !"

She turned around abruptly, her mouth open, ready to exclaim that she was fine, when she was suddenly on the floor. She looked up, confused, and saw Callum's tan face centimeters from her own, his dark green eyes flicking across her face with what she could only read as great concern. "Oh, Merlin, Adelaide , I'm sorry, are you all right?" He took her hand and pulled her easily to her feet, his other hand on her shoulder as he continued to apologize, bending down so they were on eye level. "Are you okay?"

She smiled slightly at his mortified expression, "Yes, Callum, I'm fine."

He did not look convinced, "Merlin, I meant to come and see if you were all right from the match and I knocked you over, are you sure I didn't hurt you more?"

Adelaide's pale grey eyes betrayed her as she tried not to laugh at Callum's obvious embarrassment, "I'm fine, I promise. Callum, really," she said hurriedly as he opened his mouth the make sure she wasn't lying. She was surprised at how worried and embarrassed he was since they weren't really friends. She reached out and patted his shoulder as she could reach it easily since he was still bending over, "I'm fine."

This seemed to shake him from his reverie. Removing his hand from her arm he stood up a little straighter, now nearly cowering over Adelaide . His eyes moved from her face and looked out over her shoulder as he said softly, "That game was brutal, Adelaide ," she heard his voice grow gruff and menacing, "it took a lot of control to keep myself from rushing the pitch and pummeling those Slytherins."

Adelaide swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. What was going on? Why would he have wanted to beat up the Slytherins for pushing her around?

"I wanted _nothing_ more than to beat them all, turn them into whimpering babies for treating you like that."

Adelaide looked up to stare into his eyes, but he was so much taller than Oliver and Charlie and Percy that she could barely seem them from where she was standing. He was nearly looming over her he was so tall, but she was neither scared nor intimidated: it wasn't she he wanted to pummel, it was the Slytherins. He wanted to protect her, even though he had seen she obviously didn't need any protecting – but why? She barely knew Callum, and here he was, desperate to make sure she was okay and confessing that he wanted to hurt the ones who had hurt her earlier. Her eyes moved across his tan face, his strong jaw clenched tightly in anger, his usually smiling lips now pulled into a tight line, his dark green eyes staring out over her filled with an emotion she could not read and his dark brown hair moving slightly across his forehead with the draft that was coming through the open doors of the Great Hall. She gave an involuntary shiver and Callum looked at her again, his dark green eyes meeting her confused pale grey ones and he tried to smile although Adelaide could tell it was forced. She felt as though she needed to break the silence, the tension that had seemed to build up in the hall.

"It's really okay, Callum, I'm fine other than a few bruises, nothing all Quidditch players don't get. They were a little rough, but I got them back."

Her heart beat a little faster when he smiled, a large smile, a _real_ smile, a very handsome smile. "Yea, you did, didn't you? You'd think they'd learn –"

"But they're Slytherins," Adelaide interrupted smiling, glad the tension was replaced by a friendly and light air. "Well," she continued, "thanks, Callum, but I really should be going, I have a lot of work –"

"Oh, right, of course, sorry, didn't mean to hold you up," he apologized hurriedly. He rubbed the back of his neck, something Adelaide thought akin to the way Charlie would run his hand through his hair and Cedric would scratch his ears.

He took a step back with a quick smile as Adelaide said softly, "Thanks though, Callum." She turned back around with a smile and continued up the stairs to the Ravenclaw Tower .

After that, she was much more aware of his presence.

--

The rest of the week went by as normally as ever, except for the more frequent chats with Callum. Adelaide did not mind his company or his conversation but rather, she was bewildered by how many times she now saw him throughout the day: after meals, in between classes, walking through the halls. Tuesday night she was leaving the library later then she had originally planned and nearly closed the door on his face as he hurried out behind her.

"Oh, Callum! I'm so sorry!"

He laughed, "No harm done, Adelaide . I'm all right," he paused, "say; you're at the library late."

Adelaide shrugged and walked down the hall, trying to hide the blush she knew was creeping onto her cheeks as Callum walked right alongside her. "Lost track of time reading for Charms," she looked over at him, tucking stray hair that had escaped her hastily-done ponytail, behind her ear. "What were you doing?"

"Transfiguration. Had to finish it before first period tomorrow and nearly forgot about it." She watched as he looked down the hall warily, "Hey, I better walk you back to your common room – those Slytherins still aren't very thrilled with you."

Adelaide felt her heartbeat quicken and her palms start to sweat; she wanted to protest, to tell him she would be fine, but a part of her wanted him to walk her back. "It's really all right," but she said it half-heartedly and when Callum smiled down at her all she could say was, "thanks."

Callum smiled and Adelaide watched his dark green eyes twinkly slightly as they reflected the light from the torches on the walls. There was silence for a moment as Adelaide tried to sort her jumbled thoughts: she liked talking with Callum, didn't she? He was friendly and he was worried about her.

'_And he remembers that you're a girl'. _

She had thought it before she could take it back, process it or deny it. Callum was speaking.

"You going home for the holidays?"

"Yea."

"Where do you live?"

" St. Ottery," she smiled at his perplexed look, "the Weasleys and Diggorys live there too." She looked towards him again as he nodded but she couldn't quite read his face. "Are you going home?"

"Yea," he smiled quickly at her as they walked up the stairs, "live in London ," he paused, "mum's a Muggle and dad didn't mind living in Muggle London."

"Any brothers or sisters?"

Callum shook his head, "Just me, mum, dad and Wes, our dog."

Adelaide grinned and asked him all about his dog; he was thrilled to be telling her about Wes, someone who he loved as though he were a sibling. Adelaide sighed when they reached Ravenclaw Tower, "I'd love to get a dog, but we're never home and mum went back to work," she looked up at him and was slightly startled to see his eyes gazing at her intently. She opened her mouth to say something, _anything_, but Callum tore his eyes off her quickly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Um, here you are," he laughed nervously, looking anywhere but in her eyes.

She tried to smile and keep her voice steady, "Thanks, Callum, it was really out of your way –"

He smiled more easily this time, "Don't mention it." Adelaide saw his eyes flicker away from her eyes briefly and she wondered what he was looking at – her nose? Her chin? But soon his dark green eyes were back on hers. "Goodnight," he nearly whispered and without another word, he walked back down the hall.

Adelaide answered the riddle with some difficulty because her mind was elsewhere. As she entered the common room and walked towards the girls' dormitories it suddenly hit her like the Hogwarts Express. He had been looking at her lips! He had wanted to kiss her! But surely not. He's a 5th year! But he had walked her back…

She was fighting with herself. Did he want to kiss her? Did she want to be kissed? Did she like Callum? Were, had, had they been flirting these past few weeks? Did she like him? He was very handsome and he had very nice eyes and he always had such a big smile and he was very friendly and very nice –

She had gotten herself dressed for bed without even a though and sighing, she clambered into bed, pushing her face into her pillow and willing herself to sleep.

--

Had she known that she was going to be nervous and virtually tongue-tied the next time she saw or spoke to Callum, she would have prepared herself, forced herself to act as though he were Cedric or Charlie or one of the twins. But she had not expected it.

And it was worse because Cedric and Neil were there to witness her sputtering, her humiliation when she saw Callum the very next day after lunch.

They were walking out of the Great Hall when she managed to get out a greeting and barely mustered introductions between Neil and Callum when Callum, who Adelaide was horrified to discover was grinning, waved goodbye.

She shut her mouth in horror: he knew she rather liked him. But he must think she was a silly 14 year-old girl. Shaking her head to rid herself of such traitorous and terrible thoughts, she saw Cedric's confused face. "Are you all right, Addie?"

"Yea, are you sick or something?" Neil asked peering into her face.

She took a step back and said curtly, "I'm fine and I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"Addie!" Neil laughed bemusedly, "You were opening and closing your mouth like some kind of confounded gnome! You were –"

Cedric interjected, seeing Adelaide 's face begin to twist in anger. "Addie, all we're saying is you were acting a little funny and we want to make sure you're okay," he paused to gauge her reaction, "did something happen with Callum?"

Adelaide blinked, "No, what would have happened?" She swallowed, realizing how high her voice got and started again, "I was just startled and I'm fine!" She began to walk down the hall, "I've got Ancient Runes!"

Neil shrugged at Cedric, "She's lost it."

--

Adelaide only saw Callum a handful of times the last two days of classes and thankfully she was acting normally. After chiding herself, she managed to gather her wits and pretended that Callum was just like Oliver or Alec or Brendan. She managed to keep these run-ins with Callum from Norah and Cymbelia until the train ride back to King's Cross.

Adelaide, Neil, Jack and Cedric were upset when the Weasley boys got a last-minute from their parents: they were taking Ginny to Romania to see Charlie and couldn't they stay at Hogwarts? Just this one Christmas? The triplets and Cedric tried to be allowed to stay, but they couldn't write their parents in time.

"Boxing Day's going to be awful," Neil grumbled as they hurried on to the train, Norah, Cymbelia and Alec right behind them.

Adelaide was about to grumble her agreement when Callum came into her line of vision. "Hey, Addie," he said conversationally, "if I don't see you later on," his eyes glanced quickly over her friends, "have a good holiday. I'll be sure to bring back photos of Wes."

Adelaide grinned rather foolishly in spite of herself, "Yea, that'd be great! Happy Christmas! See you next term!"

With a wave he turned and walked back down the hall where he had presumably come from as Adelaide started to follow Neil, but Cymbelia took her arm. "Sorry, boys. Girls compartment only this time."

Adelaide refrained from protesting until she was forced into a seat by her friend, "Why – "

Cymbelia leaned forward in her seat, "Who was that?"

"Callum," she shrugged dismissively but Cymbelia knew better.

"All right, none of this, 'he's just a good friend' malarkey. You two are not good friends since we've," she pointed at herself and Norah, "never seen him and he obviously has taken a liking to you. And before you even try, we are 14. We can _like_ boys –"

"I have kissed one and you don't hate _me_ do you?"

Adelaide tried to protest but Cymbelia continued, "Just tell us what's happened!"

"He's _really_ handsome," Adelaide said quietly.

Norah and Cymbelia grinned at each other, "Start from the beginning. How did you meet him?"

Adelaide told her friends everything that had happened, including her suspicions that he had wanted to kiss her. But unlike most girls, Norah and Cymbelia didn't squeal or giggle, they simple smiled and told her that he did probably like her and she should continue to be herself.

Adelaide sighed, "What else would I be?"

--

A/N: Am in midst of writing Fourth Year Part Dos. May start to get a little dramatic, after some boring bits. I promise. PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Also: Note, I changed it to Cedric/OC. Thoughts? I probably lost some readers but maybe got some new ones…??

Ciao!


	6. Fourth Year: Second Term

_**Fourth Year – Second Term**_

Christmas that year was as boring as Neil had predicted and the triplets were dreading Boxing Day. Raymond and Sara ignored Neil's very vocal expressions of irritation just as well as they ignored Jack's silent treatments. They knew that by the time they opened their presents and made cookies they'd be cured of their sour moods.

And, of course, they were right. By the time they were sitting down for Christmas dinner, everyone was in much better spirits. "Now," Ray said in the middle of the meal, "tomorrow, we – including the Diggorys – are going to spend the day sledding and ice skating and then we are going to Muggle London for a nice dinner."

Jack, nearly chocked on his food in surprise, "Really??"

Sara chuckled, "Really. And then the next day your mother will take one of you to work –" she held up her hand – "all of you will go, but on separate days, okay?"

Even though they were 14, the triplets were nearly bouncing in their seats with excitement. Sara stared at them for a long moment before Adelaide coughed and said in a calm, steady voice, "Thank you, kindly mother. We are very appreciative of this opportunity, Papa."

Raymond let out a snort and they all started to laugh, continuing throughout dinner as Jack and Neil tried to speak like their sister had, the latter failing miserably.

--

Adelaide was lying in the snow where she had landed after she and Cedric had rolled off the sled. Cedric had jumped up immediately to run back up the hill, but Adelaide had preferred to lie still, sticking her tongue out to taste the gently falling snow. She heard her mother approach and reached out blindly, "Lie down, it's so relaxing." She heard her mother laugh lightly and felt her take her hand.

"You having fun?"

Adelaide looked over at her mother; Sara's eyes were closed, her long, dark blonde hair peeping out from under her maroon wool hat. "Course," she said lightly. "Mum?"

"Hm?"

Adelaide had been mulling over whether or not to tell her mother about Mia, Jessie or Callum – Sara was the only older girl Adelaide really knew, even if she was her mother, and she was not about to ask any of the Weasley boys for advice. "Did – did you have boyfriends at school?"

Sara turned her head to look at her daughter, "A few," she said slowly, gauging her reaction, "but none of them lasted very long at all. A few Hogsmeade trips, a few Quidditch games, maybe a trip to the kitchens or some study sessions," her voice trailed off.

Adelaide had closed her eyes, her face towards the grey sky, a color that was a hue between Adelaide's pale and Neil's storm-colored eyes. Sara turned back towards the sky, smiling. "Tell me about you and dad," she said softly.

Sara smiled as she closed her eyes, "I haven't told you this story in a very long time," she began, "I had just graduated from Hogwarts and everything was very dangerous, very hectic, but I was a Gryffindor and I wasn't scared," she sighed, "so Julia and I rented a flat using all the money we had – it was a terrible flat – and I started to work at the Ministry. As a secretary of course since I had no connections, but I got promoted pretty quickly. People were leaving the department or were in hiding or were just retiring. It felt like everyday I was moving up to a new desk. And Julia started to see someone and she was thinking about moving out of our flat, but I didn't want to live alone. So one day, about a month or two after I started working, I got onto the lifts to go home – it was very late – and I was reading papers when they stopped to let someone else on. I ignored the person as the lift started to shudder. I dropped my papers and whipped out my wand just as the man did too. The lift grew dark and we murmured to each other, worried and scared because we didn't know what was going on.

"But after a few minutes everything went back to normal. He introduced himself and helped me pick up my things, asking what Department I worked in. I thought he was handsome – he had slightly longer hair then, like most of the men did – and he had these very deep blue eyes and a very nice, friendly smile. We got off the lift and he asked if I wanted a drink – 'We had a nice little scare and deserved one' – he had said.

"I didn't see any harm of course and agreed to a drink. But we got talking and it turned into two drinks before he demanded to walk me back to my flat. He was a few years older then me at school, we had discovered and he didn't like me and a few months out of Hogwarts, walking home by myself, so I agreed. When we got to my flat he asked if he could take me out to dinner that Saturday.

"And then, two months later, when Julia moved out, he wouldn't allow me to live alone. So I moved into his flat – his flatmate had left a few months earlier and then a year later, we were married."

Adelaide sighed, "All started in an elevator." Sara laughed, but Adelaide sat up, "I'm glad it wasn't super romantic."

"Me too," Sara agreed. She didn't want to press, but she wanted to know why Adelaide wanted to know about her boyfriends and about Ray. "So," she started but Adelaide laughed.

"This boy Callum, he, well he walked me back from the library and he was really worried about me after that match – and, and we're not really even friends, but Norah and Cymbelia reckon he likes me."

"Do you like him?"

Adelaide shrugged, "I don't know. He's really nice – and he's handsome and he plays Quidditch for Hufflepuff, but he's a year older! Why would he like a 14 year old?"

Sara smiled, "Your dad is older then me."

Adelaide sighed, "I guess."

"You don't have to like him, Adelaide. But you'll have to tell him you just want to be friends."

"But," she paused, fidgeting her fingers slightly, "but it's not bad to kiss him? It's not _wrong_?"

Sara was confused, "Of course not, why would that be wrong?"

Adelaide shrugged, "I don't know, I, well, there are two girls in my year who are always flirting with boys and kissing them and wearing silly clothes and lots of make-up and," she hesitated again, taking a deep breath, "we aren't really friends with them anymore."

Sara decided it would be best not to press the matter and instead wrapped a loving arm around her only daughter. "There _is_ such a thing as kissing too many boys and those girls sound just like some of the girls that were in my year. Trust me, they aren't happy. They probably have _very_ low self-esteem and believe that _this_ is the way to feel worthy and respected."

Adelaide snorted and Sara joined in, tossing a handful of the light, powdery snow into her lap before they both stood up, laughing and throwing snowballs at each other.

--

As soon as they entered the Great Hall after the train ride, the twins beckoned Neil and Adelaide over to their table. On their way over, Cedric declined and sat at his own table and Adelaide nearly ran into Callum. They exchanged greetings and then brief accounts of their holidays, which Neil interrupted with when he slumped his shoulders and gave his sister a pained and aggravated expression.

"Sorry, Callum – we're being beckoned over to the Gryffindor table – they stayed here over the hols."

"The Weasleys?" He glanced over to the table.

"Yea," she said slowly, "well, I'll see you around," and with an attempt at a smile, she followed Neil.

She sat down in between George and Harry, across from Fred and Oliver (Neil sandwiched between), Percy, Ron and Hermione on either side.

She asked everyone about their holidays, but it was only the twins who spoke animatedly, telling her and Neil about the planning and inventing they had done, ignoring the annoyed expressions that both Percy and Hermione wore. Harry and Ron merely shrugged and said they had a decent time in the castle. Oliver was strangely quiet even as Adelaide and Neil told them all about Muggle London and their days at the Ministry with their dad.

It wasn't until pudding that Oliver spoke, "How you do know Westcott?"

Adelaide looked up from her bowl and into Oliver's unnaturally hard, brown eyes. Her brows furrowed, "Sorry?"

He repeated gruffly, "How do you know Westcott? The new Hufflepuff Chaser?"

"Oh," she said surprised and caught off-guard by his tone, "Callum? Cedric introduced us," she paused and watched as he nodded, turning back to his barely-touched pudding. She wanted to prod, wanted to know why he was curious, but she was more worried about his obvious frustration that she thought it better not to.

She stared at him a moment longer, confused by his hard face, his mouth pulled into a slight grimace, his shoulders slumped yet oddly tensed, his large hands gripping his spoon and his bowl, his knuckles white. She thought back briefly to when those hands had been on her back, but shook her head quickly and looked back down at her pudding, hoping no one noticed her blush. She had admitted to herself over the holiday that she _did_ have a crush on Oliver when she first met him and maybe even throughout her first years at Hogwarts. And why shouldn't she have? He was the first boy she met, aside from Cedric, who wasn't a Weasley, the first boy she met when she was no longer in the single-digits, and he was very attractive, didn't tease her like the twins, was extremely nice to her and he was cute. (And Adelaide hated admitting this, even to herself, but he did have a nice Scottish-burr). But she was in such pain when he was helping her that she hadn't even fully understood that he had been rubbing a bruise-salve on to her back. While she was only wearing a bra.

Granted, by the time she had realized the full extent of the situation, she remembered that Neil had been present the entire time, that it was _Oliver_ and that she no longer had a crush on him. But the thought could still make her blush.

She stole a quick glance at Oliver when George asked her a question, but he was still sitting awkwardly, staring at his bowl, a surly look on his face.

--

Adelaide barely saw Oliver or Callum over the next week because she was so busy with her lessons and the intense Quidditch practices Neil was scheduling along with the extra football sessions.

" Adelaide ," Norah started one evening as they sat in the common room working on their Herbology essays, "what do you think of Ewan?"

Adelaide didn't look up, "Cedric's friend, Ewan?"

"Yea."

Adelaide looked up, grinning wolfishly and Cymbelia tried to stifle a giggle as she leaned forward. "I thought I saw you talking to him more." She laughed as Norah groaned in embarrassment. "Oh, stop. You like him?"

Norah nodded, "You think I should ask him to Hogsmeade – as, as friends I mean, and you guys could come and Cedric and Cook and –"

"Oh, Norah, Neil schedule Quidditch and football during Hogsmeade since no one else wanted the pitch then."

Norah grumbled but Cymbelia interrupted, "Oh, come on, just ask if he's going, tell him we should all meet up, it won't matter."

Norah nodded, a smile evident on her face as she turned back to her essay.

--

Ewan had agreed to meet up at Hogsmeade and Cedric immediately went searching for Adelaide when he found this bit of gossip. "Did you get them together?"

Adelaide turned around in the middle of the hall as she was making her way down to the kitchens for a quick bite to eat. Cedric was leaning against the wall, lazily examining his nails, trying to hide a grin. Adelaide only rolled her eyes and poked him in the ribs, "Stop trying to be cool," she teased in reference to this Muggle movie-esque stance.

He laughed and leaned forward off the wall, his hazel eyes staring into her grey ones. "Did you?"

She flounced her hair over her shoulder and turned around with a dramatic 'hmph', doing her best to evoke the actresses she had watched in some of the more dramatic and ridiculous movies they had watched over the years. But Cedric caught up with her in two steps, still laughing and slung his arm around her, "You did!"

Adelaide poked him in the side this time before quickly pinching his arm, "I most certainly did not!"

Cedric let out a low whistle and said in an atrocious attempt at an American accent, "Well I'll be!"

"What?"

"Well, Ewan asked me what I thought of Norah before she asked him – he even wanted me to talk to you! Put in a good word for him, you know."

Adelaide sighed dramatically again, putting her hand on her heart, "Ah, our friends, falling in love on their own accord!"

Cedric pushed her, both of them laughing as they continued down the hall. "You stop it," he joked, "and keep that Cymeblia away from Cook. He needs to focus on Quidditch!"

"Hey," Adelaide started, her eyes twinkling mischievously, "good idea…"

--

The Hogsmeade trip was two weeks before the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw match: Gryffindor had not beat Hufflepuff by enough (nor did Slytherin lose by enough) for any of the teams to be far enough ahead. The Cup was still very much anyone's.

A few days before the Hogsmeade trip, Adelaide was walking down the hall towards the Charms classroom to catch Flitwick in between his lessons, her eyes darting between the open book in her hands and the floor. She made it to the classroom just as the 5th years were exiting, but her eyes darting across the page, she did not notice Callum standing in front of her, nor did she see Oliver walking through the doorway.

"Hey, Adelaide ."

Adelaide looked up briefly, "Hi, Callum," she said before returning to the text.

"Are," he hesitated slightly, "are you going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?"

Adelaide didn't even look up; unaware that he was essentially asking her on a date. "Oh, I'm not going."

His shoulders slumped slightly and he tried to hide his obvious dejection, "Oh, um –"

She looked up at him hurriedly, her face slightly apologetic as most of the 5th years had left the classroom. "Quidditch practice," she said, her eyes darting to the door, "sorry – I've got to see Flitwick," she closed her book with a snap and smiled quickly, "see you around!"

"Uh, right, see you, Adelaide . Maybe next trip?"

She waved a hand over her shoulder and nearly ran into Oliver who had stepped in front of her path. She smiled at him but said, "I've got to see Flitckwick – whatever it is, it can wait."

He nodded, grinning, as she made her way around him, being sure to punch his arm. He looked up quickly to see Callum stalking off down the hallway.

--

Quidditch practice that Saturday was _rough_. Neil was determined to beat Hufflepuff by at least 350 points so that they could be the favorites for the Cup. But he really wanted to beat them by more than that, and was certain they could: _if_ they practiced hard every single day. He wanted his Chasers to steal and intercept everything from the Hufflepuff Chasers and wanted to shoot as much as possible to wear Cook down. "He won't be expecting fancy – but make sure you can make the shot. And _anticipate_ the passes! Their Beaters are good but their Chasers are not. Passing, faking, pull out _all_ the tricks."

The football session was tough too: after the Slytherin match, Neil was even more convinced that this was a fantastic idea, that any of them could get knocked off a broom at any moment.

Adelaide finally trudged up to the common room, exhausted and was soon bombarded by the reenactments of the afternoon courtesy of Norah and Cymbelia.

Ewan had shown up with Cedric as the Three Broomsticks but after one butterbeer, Cedric apologized profusely, claiming he had completely forgotten he had promised to meet someone. Adelaide nodded slyly, "He's never one to break a promise." Then a few minutes later, Norah had continued, ignoring Adelaide completely, Cymbelia feigning a cough, excused herself too. Norah and Ewan had seen through their veiled attempts at getting them alone, but it did not matter. They had had a good time and Norah said they were going to study Potions together the next day.

Cymbelia and Adelaide tried not to laugh or tease their friend, but they could not resist as they made their way up to their dormitory.

--

Adelaide did not see much of Callum the next few days but barely noticed because she was so busy. A few days before the match, she hurried into the library just as a group of Hufflepuffs were rounding the corner, hoping to avoid any possible confrontation, however unlikely they might be. She was a little frazzle as she swept her hair up into a ponytail and looked for a table. Her eyes landed on Ron's bushy-haired friend, Hermione, and smiling, Adelaide walked over to the large, half-empty table.

"Mind if I sit here, Hermione?"

The smaller girl looked up for a second at the sound of her name, but her mouth broke into a small smile as she nodded. Even though Hermione had looked at her for a second, Adelaide got the feeling she was being appraised. Adelaide smiled and sat down, immediately began pulling enough scrolls, books, quills and her inkwell out of her bag to rival the heap in front of Hermione. Hermione watched her for a moment before whispering, "That last match was rather rough."

Adelaide shrugged, curious as to why Hermione was bringing up a match that had taken place months prior. "Well, it was against Slytherin, so, it was expected."

There was a silence as Adelaide , furrowing her brow, hunched over her scroll, unaware that Hermione was still watching her. "What courses are you taking?"

Adelaide looked up again, momentarily confused as to what was going on around her, "Hm? Oh," she smiled, "sorry, trying to finish this paper for Arthimancy."

Hermione nodded her lips tight. "You're taking Arthimancy?"

"Yea, and this scroll's due Monday," she frowned, "I really wanted to finish this tonight, but Merlin, I still have a bit more left," she frowned again as she scribbled something on her scroll, not noticing Hermione's lips curving into another small smile.

Adelaide looked up again, unnerved by Hermione's smile, "Sorry, do I have ink on my face or something?"

Hermione tried not to laugh, but shook her head, her bushy-hair bouncing around her shoulders, "It's just hard to believe you're friends with Ron and the twins."

Adelaide smiled, "Well, I am a Ravenclaw and they are terribly nice and smart," she ignored Hermione's disbelieving look, "been neighbors with them for ages. Trust me." She looked at Hermione's nearly-filled scroll and around at the huge assortment of open books. "I'm sure you'll be a decent influence on them, but just remember that they already know how Percy, my brothers and I work. They just choose not to."

Hermione nodded and Adelaide chuckled to herself. "Hermione," she continued quietly, "I think you and I and Ginny – the youngest Weasley – are going to be good friends."

--

Neil made it a rule that they ignore all Hufflepuffs at the end of the second-to-last practice before the match. "I don't care how friendly and nice they are, ignore them. They are our opponents until after this Saturday. So ignore them, don't talk to them about classes unless you absolutely have to, and make it as quick as possible," he looked at Adelaide , "and that includes Cedric."

She rolled her eyes at him but it was Riley who spoke up, "Doesn't this seem a little – excessive?"

Neil crossed his arms, "Not if you want to win, no." And with a decisive nod, everyone left the locker room without another word.

Cedric met up with Adelaide that night right dinner. "Oi, how was practice?" He grinned widely as he jogged to catch up with her in the hall but his face fell when he saw her pained and irritated expression. "What's wrong?"

"Neil has basically forbidden us from talking to any of the Hufflepuffs, and that includes you."

"But why?"

"Because he really wants to win the match and he doesn't want us to forget that you lot are our opponents," she looked bitterly at the wall.

Cedric sighed, "Well, best not get Neil angry at you – or me." He hesitated, scratching his ear, "But if you need anything, or if I need something, we're talking."

She nodded and looked at him with a weak, resigned smile, "All right. See you – well, when I see you, I guess."

Callum, however, did not take Adelaide 's ignoring him as well. She avoided his gaze the few times she saw him in the halls, but he managed to say hello to her a few times, obviously ready to engage in lengthy conversations, but she was too quick. Her excuses were weak and rather transparent, but she never anticipated that this would hurt him. Besides, what if she really was busy?

But Callum had seen her chatting in the halls with other boys, and since she had ignored him outside Flitwick's and was still doing so now, he never could have guessed that she was forbidden to speak to any of the Hufflepuffs; Callum only assumed that she was ignoring him because she no longer liked him.

--

The weather on Saturday could not have been more prefect for a Quidditch match: not too bright that the remaining snow was blinding, warm for a late winter's day and not too much wind for it to be a nuisance to the players.

The Ravenclaw squad was in top form: Neil was saving all of the few shots Hufflepuff was able to make; Riley and Timothy were playing as good as Lee Jordan claimed he had ever seen them play; and the Chasers had never played so well. "They make the game look effortless," Lee said into the megaphone.

Adelaide, Alec and Nancy were working together seamlessly: intercepting, stealing, passing, faking and shooting with such ease and grace that the entire audience was in awe. They were up 100 points to none by the time Jack snatched the Snitch.

When the team walked off the pitch to the locker room, slapping each other on the backs and high-fiving, Adelaide wasn't worried that Cedric wouldn't be mad or jealous because they never were of each other's accomplishments. So she was concerned when she didn't see him when she left the pitch, knowing full well she'd see him later. But when she didn't see Cedric, she also didn't see Callum throw himself off his broom, his face contorted in anger.

The team began to leave the locker room and seeing her brothers' impatient expressions she laughed and told them to go ahead to the party; she needed to oil part of her broom handle. They rolled their eyes playfully but yelled, "Hurry up!" as they ran out of the locker room.

A few minutes later Adelaide was walking back to the castle, her broom over her shoulder as she hummed to herself, pleased with her performance. She only scored 3 goals, having intercepted or stolen more often then her teammates and would send the Quaffle off to Nancy or Alec instead. She hadn't even thought about Callum during the match, a skill she was long used to using after four years of competitively playing against the Weasleys, Cedric and Oliver.

She stopped humming when she got to the top of the hill not far from the main doors and smiling shouted, "Oi! Callum!" She waved as she started to approach where he stood on the lawn, his hands thrust deep into his pockets, bracing himself against the light breeze. She tried to call to him again, but stopped when he looked up.

His normally friendly, attractive features were contorted and it wasn't until Adelaide saw his blazing eyes that she understood his face was overcome with rage. "Oi, Callum," he mocked, spitting the words out, pulling his hands out of his pockets to fall by his sides. She stopped walking, wanting to keep some distance when his hands clenched threateningly into fists. "How can you 'Oi, Callum' _me_ when you embarrassed me in front of the entire school?" It was less of a question and more of an accusation, Adelaide noticed.

"_What_?"

He took a step closer to her, his voice low and spiteful, "You've ignored me this entire term and you don't have the decency to say you don't like me – I asked you to Hogsmeade! You were the first girl I've asked out!" Adelaide tried to interrupt, but he continued, ignoring her. "And then today you embarrassed me in front of the whole school. You knew I liked you, didn't you? And you threw it in my face. Probably had a good laugh over it, eh? Laughed at poor, stupid me with all your other boyfriends, didn't you? Those bloody Weasleys, and Wood and Diggory, and all those other brothers," his breath was ragged as he continued, ignoring her horrified, anger and shocked face. "I don't know how I could ever have liked you, could think that you actually liked me too. You just threw it in my face today stealing the Quaffle – cheating! – You're a bloody girl, a bloody younger girl, and you cheated so you could beat me and embarrass me!"

This last statement was a sort of epiphany and Callum's slow smile made his face look grim and sickly and Adelaide could not form any other coherent word but, "_What_?"

"You heard me," he said, taking another step closer. "You cheated because you're a girl and you wanted to laugh at me with all your little boyfriends, you stupid girl. You want everyone to think you're the best Chaser and not me. So you cheated. You wanted to make a mockery of me – you couldn't even let me score once! And I bloody protected you!"

She let out an uncharacteristically cold laugh, "What? Protected me from what?" Her voice was unnaturally high; she was dangerously close to losing any self-control she had, her pale grey eyes cold and narrow, her blood boiling despite the chilly air.

"From those Slytherins," he spat out.

Adelaide took a step forward this time, speaking slowly and vehemently, "I cheated? You think _I_ cheated? Me? I cheated so I could embarrass you? You think I was ignoring you?" She shook her head in disbelief, but her eyes bore into his. Her mind ignored all rational thought as she continued, "You think that because I'm a girl I can't possibly be better than you? You _prat_. I wasn't ignoring you. We weren't allowed to talk to Hufflepuffs. I did have practice and couldn't go to Hogsmeade but Merlin, you obviously are not very good at asking people on dates since I had no idea that's what you were insinuating, you twit. But I'm glad I didn't waste my time with the likes of you," she cocked a defiant eyebrow. "And why would I cheat? I've been playing on the team for four years – four years longer than you have – and the entire school knows that I play well enough. How could I cheat at every match?"

She took a breath, "But no, I must be cheating because how could you, a _man_," she said this with such distaste in such a mocking tone that Callum nearly winced, "get destroyed by the likes of a woman? Did you think that if I liked you I wouldn't play as well or as hard against you? Did you think I'd let you score a few goals?" Her mind wandered slightly, realizing that this could have all been some sort of set-up to get her to play well, but hadn't he said she was the first girl he asked out? Why would he lie about that now that his true self was coming through?

He ignored her long pause and nearly shouted, "You're a stupid little girl and that's why you score goals! Because no one wants to hurt you!"

Her eyes widened, "Because I'm a girl? A girl?" She was so furious she did not even know how to respond, "Are you so egotistical – you – you – wanker! Are you that ignorant –" she couldn't manage a full sentence. "Then how have I played for four years? Why would I get beaten up against the Slytherins? They don't care that I'm a girl. How come I played for four years and you only for one, hm?"

Adelaide's vision had narrowed so that she saw nothing but Callum. She didn't see the clouds darkening. She didn't see Oliver walking towards them. But she did see Callum lunge at her, trying to grab her broom off her shoulder as he yelled, "Because you're a _whore_."

Oliver began to run towards them, fumbling for his wand when he saw Callum lunge, but before he could manage to locate his wand, Adelaide had jabbed Callum in the chest with her own.

"What did you call me?" Her voice was low but Oliver could hear the rage bubbling underneath, the desire to scream.

Callum was not fazed by her quick reflexes nor was he concerned by the wand currently pressed into his chest. "I said," he started slowly as though speaking to a child, his voice dripping with disdain, "that you're just _some girl_ who cheats and whores herself out for Quidditch." Callum smiled maliciously at her, his eyes reflecting his pleased tone. "You're just a little girl who knows she's not pretty nor good at anything so sleeps her way –"

But Callum never got to finish. With no warning Adelaide had dropped her broom and punched Callum's face with her non-wand hand before with barely a flick of her wrist had him on the ground, clutching his ears and crying out in agony. She leaned over him and shouted, "Even though I'm just a girl, I know how much this hurts." Oliver winced as he watched her kick Callum – hard – in between the legs.

She looked up in confusion as she watched Oliver running over and ignored Callum as he whispered, rolling on his side as he moves his hands from his ears to his crotch. Oliver was about to ask her if she was all right, to take her broom, to tell her Callum was a prat when Callum said laboriously, "That's right, one of your boyfriends runs to the rescue."

Before Oliver could stop her, her face hovered inches from Callum's as she said mockingly, "Rescue me?" And as she stood up straight again she brought her foot down hard on his right calf, ignoring his strangled yell.

She grabbed her broom and said to Oliver harshly, "Come on," and stormed off to the castle.

--

It wasn't until they were in the front entance that Oliver got Adelaide to stop and take a deep breath. He barely got out the words, "Adelaide, it's okay –" when she dropped her arms, hung her head and slumped her shoulders, looking completely defeated. Oliver wrapped a tentative arm around her and when she didn't push away he wrapped his other arm around her.

She didn't move but she didn't cry either. "Adelaide, it's all right, he's just a prat. None of that was true."

"I know," she said quietly. Oliver bent down to try and peer at her face, her cheek against his shoulder, her arms still at her sides. He was taller then her, but he wasn't as tall as Charlie or Callum and would probably be shorter than Cedric, Jack and Neil, and therefore was only a head taller then her. "But for him to even _think_ such things," she paused before mumbling, "and I thought I even liked that wanker."

Oliver tried to ignore this comment, not sure he was meant to hear it and not sure how to feel about it either. "Well," he started, "you took care of him, didn't you?" She let out a reluctant laugh and soon they were laughing, hugging each other for support.

Once their laughter died down, Oliver pulled away to look at her, "You all right?" She nodded and smiled, about to thank him but he shook his head, "You should tell Cedric and the others – get him kicked off the team."

Adelaide shook her head, "And have him miss a game against Slytherin?" She sighed, "Besides, it won't do anything. He'll only harass me more if they beat him up. I'll just tell them he was a sore-loser if they ask."

He nodded reluctantly, trying to control his own anger, trying to control the desire to pummel Callum until he was crying for his mother. Adelaide went to pick up her broom and thank him again but Oliver shook his head. He took her broom, smiling at her annoyed expression. "I'm walking you back. And no, not to protect you but to protect Westcott from you, lest me run into him."

He grinned, his heart taking an extra beat as she smiled. It was a genuine, grateful smile. And without a protest, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked up the stairs towards the Tower, silently grateful for the other's company.

--

And Adelaide should have been; she kept telling herself she _was_ fine, but her mind wandered. That night she couldn't help but replay the horrid outburst in her head over and over again. Callum had called her a whore. Called her plain and ugly. Said she was bad at Quidditch. She bit her lip, lying silently in her bed, hoping sleep would come soon. Was she ugly? Was she plain? Was that why boys paid no attention to her like they did to Mia and Jessie and even her friends? She scolded herself. Why did she need the attention of immature boys anyway? She was friends with them and they liked her for the proper reason. For her smarts, for her Quidditch skills. That was the _one_ thing she knew Callum was wrong about: she was excellent at Quidditch. And she _wasn't_ a whore. That was just plain preposterous! But she couldn't help feeling that maybe she _was_ plain and ugly. Maybe no one thought she was pretty. She never paid much attention to her reflection in the mirror unless she had received some horrid bruise or a rash of poison ivy or the like. She rolled over on to her side scolding herself again. She _didn't_ care what boys _or_ girls thought of her looks. She wasn't terribly ugly and she could live with being plain. And what did it matter if boys thought she were pretty? She'd rather be intelligent and funny and good at Quidditch and friendly and caring then be pretty.

She smiled to herself and nestled in head into her pillow. She _was_ all right.

--

A/N: This is shorter then last chapter but……I have more for written for 5th year! Just need to type it! Should hopefully be a doozy!!

Please review!!!


	7. Fifth Year

A/N: This is a SUPER long chapter, I know!! Sorry it's taken so long, for those of you eagerly awaiting an update :) I hope you like it! And I didn't realize until after I'd written about like 20 pages that Ron and Harry had their little adventure with the car, so I had to change a bit, but then decided to ignore the feast. But you can all assume Jack and Percy would have been disappointed, Adelaide would have just shaken her head, and Neil and the twins would have thought it was brilliant. And Cedric? Probably laughed and shaken his head too. Or, at least I hope you'd all figure that.

Please review!!!

-------

_**Fifth Year**_

Adelaide bit back a teasing laugh as she watched Cedric try to pull his trunk through a throng of girls lining the corridor as he attempted to find a compartment. She heard him mumbling, 'hullo' and 'pardon me' every few seconds; she could barely see him as more and more girls seemed to emerge from their compartments after she had walked passed to stare at Cedric. He looked up however and she could see him scratching his ear nervously and his eyes met hers, pleading desperately with her. She resisted the urge to shrug at him; hadn't she and the twins told him to stop being so nice to younger girls after the debacle that was that summer? That poor Muggle girl was head over heels in love with Cedric after he saved her from drowning in the lake and she became so jealous and nasty towards Ginny and herself and so desolate when Cedric told her he was moving and he felt so guiltily when Amos was forced to Oblivate her memory…

Adelaide sighed; Cedric did look so desperate and so miserable and he could not have possible done anything to warrant these ridiculous affections and stares, aside from maybe smile a little too broadly or ruffle his hair or something equally absurd, that Adelaide took pity on him. She turned around and dropped her trunk with a resounding thud. 'That grabbed everyone's attention,' she said to herself.

"Oh, Cedric, _darling_!" She cooed in her best imitation of a Muggle actress and pushed two girls out of the way to throw her arms around his neck. "I've missed you so!" She pinched his arm discreetly. "Come on, I got a compartment," she took his hand and started to pull him, grabbing her trunk on the way. And like she knew she would, the girls moved out of their way, their eyes and mouths wide in shock. What she _didn't_ expect was that they were scrambling to tell everyone this bit of "gossip". How was she supposed to know that the exploits of one Adelaide Hayworth, Chaser-extraordinaire, and Cedric Diggory, Seeker and newly-appointed Prefect, were so interesting?

She stuck her head into a compartment where Alec, Cook, Ewan, Stephen, Norah and Cymbelia were sitting. "Trunks are across the corridor," Cook said in greeting. They threw their trunks into the other compartment and Adelaide was very nearly sitting down next to Alec when Cedric lifted her up into a crushing embrace saying repeatedly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

She staggered slightly when he finally set her down and took in a deep breath, "You," she said hoarsely, "owe me."

Alec looked at the pair confused, "You've been on the train for not even 3 minutes and you already owe her?"

Adelaide and Cedric were still in front of the open door, about to explain, a smile playing on Adelaide 's lips when they were knocked to the floor, Jack and Neil rushing in and slamming shut the door. "Hide us," Jack whispered frantically and he crouched to the floor, pulling Neil down with him.

Cedric had landed on Adelaide but had rolled off before she could hit him. He sat up, rubbing the arm he had landed on as Adelaide sat up too, brushing off her shirt, "Are you two off your –"

"Shh," Jack pleaded. Adelaide looked to Neil but he was trying to hide his smile. She and Cedric stood up to find a seat on one of the benches when they heard loud footsteps down the corridor. Four young girls peered into the compartment across the hall and were now turning towards their compartment when they saw Cedric and Adelaide standing there. They started to smile at seeing Cedric but then their eyes caught Adelaide 's cocked eyebrow and her menacing glare. With a muffled 'eep!' the girls ran off down the corridor.

Adelaide sat down next to Alec and glare at her brothers who stood up, dusting themselves off. There was silence for a moment until Norah, Cymbelia, Ewan and Cook broke out into peels of laughter, the others joining suite. "They were chasing us!" Jack protested angrily.

Cedric patted his friend on the arm, "They were harassing me too."

Adelaide was laughing now too when Stephen said, wiping a tear from his eye, "We heard some third years talking about being 'in love with the Hayworth boys'!"

Norah said in between giggles, "And we," she pointed at herself and Ewan, "heard all about Cedric's 'charming smile' and his 'boyish good looks' on the platform earlier."

Jack and Cedric tried to hide their faces as they groaned but Neil laughed, "This year will be grand, won't it, lads?"

Adelaide shook her head at her brother, "You say that now, brother of mine, but I bet you'll be changing your tune soon."

Alec rolled his eyes at Neil and turned to Adelaide , "Doubtful, Girl-Hayworth," he chuckled as she hit his arm, hating the so-called "nickname". "You know Neillie loves attention."

She laughed again as everyone continued to tease Cedric and Jack until they cried out that they had done nothing to deserve such attention. It was Neil, however, who responded to this declaration and caused everyone to start laughing all over again, "Why, Diggory, you disarmed these young ladies with your charming smile!"

--

The compartment became more comfortable when Cedric, Jack and Cymbelia left for their prefect's meeting. Ewan and Norah survived some slight teasing from cook and Alec but they stopped with groans of disgust when the couple kissed. Norah winked at Adelaide who tried to hide her own discomfort, "Knew that would work."

The rest of the ride continued in companionable silence and mild conversation until the prefects returned, Cedric hiding a smile, Jack looking confused as Cymbelia, laughing hysterically held on to him for support. "The twins," she managed to sputter, "they told, they – Cedric!"

Cedric tried to look serious, "George asked me why I never told them we were dating."

Everyone whipped their heads around to stare at Adelaide who merely shrugged, "Well, it worked then, yea?"

Cedric nodded gravely, "Those girls apparently believed it. Told everyone. No doubt the whole school knows now."

"Maybe even Dumbledore," Adelaide continued.

"Twins were _mad_," Cymbelia managed to choke out.

No one said anything, hoping for some kind of explanation, but Adelaide continued. "Well, Ceddie, m'boy, when everyone finds out I've dumped your sorry arse, they're going to fawn over you, want to cheer you up."

Cedric's face fell, his wide, scared, hazel eyes in stark contrast to his suddenly pale white face. He shook his head, staring at the evil glint in her eyes, "You – you wouldn't."

Adelaide smiled evilly, ignoring the increasingly confused looks on her friends' faces. "Wouldn't I?" Her smile grew as she cocked an eyebrow, looking eerily like the twins, "I wouldn't want to prevent you a nice girl, would I?"

Jack pried Cymbelia's hands off him and held up his hands, "All right, that's it, _explain_."

--

Adelaide was the only one brave enough to venture out in to the corridor to see how Ginny liked her first train ride. Adelaide found Ginny in a compartment with a few other first-years. "Enjoying your first train ride?"

Ginny smiled, "Yea," she stood up to talk to Adelaide quietly, "have you seen Ron around? His friend, Hermione I think said she hasn't seen him _or_ that Harry Potter."

Adelaide frowned, "No, I haven't, but I haven't exactly looked for them either. I'm sure they're fine."

Ginny nodded, "Probably just Ron being Ron." She grinned and sat back down on the seat, waving as Adelaide continued back down the hall and ran into Oliver who had a perplexed look on his face. She grinned, "Guess the twins have been telling your whole _House_ this little ruse."

Oliver's face broke into a smile and she couldn't miss the relief evident in his brown eyes. "Yea. Thought it was a little suspicious. He and your brothers are getting a fan club the twins say."

Adelaide was surprised, "Apparently. Got one of your own, do you Oliver?" She teased, pleased to see him fidget a little uncomfortably.

He laughed however a second later, his discomfort passing, "No, no," he leaned against the wall of the corridor, "I'm too worried about Quidditch for girls. They don't like when a boy notices Quidditch more than them, I suppose. Bill had one though. Bloody hilarious."

Adelaide was about to say that there must be an 'Oliver Wood Fan-Club' just as there was probably once a 'Charlie Weasley' one, and that the two of them were just too daft to notice, but she saw Callum walk out of a compartment and towards where she and Oliver were standing. Oliver saw the boy too and instinctively grabbed Adelaide 's hand, pulling her so that she stood next to him along the wall. She turned her face towards him, smiling, so she wouldn't have to look at Callum, but Oliver wasn't looking at her. He glared at the boy as he walked by and Adelaide swore she could feel the side of his body that she was pressed against reverberate with a low growl.

When he had passed, Adelaide shut her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall, relaxing her shoulders. She felt Oliver squeeze her hand reassuringly and whispered in her ear, "You all right?"

She tried not to shiver as she opened her eyes to look at him, completely taken aback by the true concern she saw in his brown eyes. "Yea, I just," she sighed, "really am not looking forward to running in to him this year." She smiled slightly and nudged his shoulder with her own, "Thanks, Oliver. You saved me from a potentially terrible encounter."

Oliver shrugged, trying to appear cool and collected. "Probably saved _him_ from a few broken bones."

Adelaide and Oliver laughed before she countered, "No, maybe only some bruised ribs."

They felt the train begin to slow and Adelaide tried to hide her disappoint, although she wasn't sure _why_ she was suddenly disappointed as she said, "Well, time to get changed, I suppose. What example would I be setting as sister to a prefect?"

Oliver pushed himself off the wall, smiling, "I don't want to find Westcott in a bloody heap somewhere now, all right Hayworth?"

"Yessir," she saluted, grinning and walked off back towards her compartment.

But Oliver muttered to himself, "Unless _I've_ put him there," before he too walked back towards his compartment.

--

Adelaide had thought nothing of their new DADA professor when they had gone to Diagon Alley except that there were so many assigned books and they were so expensive. Sara and Ray had of course been willing to purchase 3 sets, never ones to hinder their children's education, but Jack had convinced them that come next year no one would need these books since the DADA position always seemed to be vacant come summer. Besides, Neil informed Adelaide, who wanted her own books since it was O.W.L.s and she was desperate to do well, now they would have extra money for more important things. He then covered his ears, grinning to himself, to avoid his sister's tirade that nothing was more important.

So Adelaide had walked to double DADA that morning, worried that she would fail her O.W.L.s because the three were sharing two sets of books and irritated that they were having the class with the Slytherins.

After that first lesson, however, Adelaide had never been more thankful for the Slytherins. The entire female population of the class – even Norah and Cymbelia were seemingly smitten with the professor. But the boys – Ravenclaw and Slytherin alike – lost no time in saying snide, ridiculing things under their breath. Adelaide found herself covering an escaped laugh with a cough or pressing her hand to her mouth more than once when one of the Slytherins boys had said something particularly funny.

When they were finally dismissed Adelaide groaned, "We're going to all fail our O.W.L.s for certain if he keeps that up."

One of the Slytherins who Adelaide had never spoken to, Milton, was the first to reply nonchalantly, "Unless the questions are all about him. Then we are all bound for 'O's."

--

The first day of lessons over, Adelaide was extremely grateful to sit down for dinner with her mates to verbally abuse Lockhart, tease Norah about Ewan and watch as Jack and Neil tried to ignore the gaggle of second-year Hufflepuff's that were eyeing them from across the aisle. "Why can't they bother Cedric?" Jack tried not to whine.

"He's not here. See? Hufflepuff Prince is missing," he paused and Adelaide was about to demand the origin of this nickname when he continued, "oh, crickey, they've spotted me."

Cymbelia tried to hold her laughter, "Oh, Alec, look, those baby Slytherins are trying to get your attention."

Alec grimaced but Neil ran a hand through his hair, loving the attention. "These young ladies just appreciate how dashing we are."

Jack cursed, "Bloody growth spurts."

Adelaide battled her eyelashes teasingly, "And your noses, oh they're so handsome!"

"And those ears! Ah! A _man's_ ears! Be still my heart!" Cymbelia and Adelaide tittered into their goblets.

"Sod off," Jack mumbled.

"Oh, thank Merlin, I don't think I've ever been more happy to see Diggory," Alec muttered and Adelaide looked up to see Cedric jogging to their table.

"Save me, save me," he mumbled, squeezing in between Adelaide and Cymbelia.

"Cedric," Adelaide started to laugh but he shook his head staring at the table. "What –" she started, but looked up at the entrance to see a few younger girls strolling in, craning their necks and peering at the tables.

Once the coast was clear Cedric grabbed Adelaide's goblet and took a very large gulp. "Third years," he explained, "cornered me after Divination. Wanted to know about Quidditch tryouts," he paused again, biting into a roll, "first years claimed to be lost again. Wouldn't leave me alone."

Adelaide tried to look sympathetic but all she could do was laugh into his shoulder, trying not to snort. But she could not muffle her laughter very well and soon everyone was laughing.

"You're worse off then us, mate," Neil said seriously.

Cedric groaned, "These girls are so young! What are they doing?"

Cymbelia shrugged, still smiling, "Try telling them off or something."

"Get a girlfriend," Norah suggested.

Cedric grimaced, "No, no. They'll stop soon enough. See that they're two young."

Jack nodded his head down the table towards a small group of girls that included Mia and Jessie who were openly staring at them. When Cedric looked over, however, they all turned away.

Cedric groaned but Neil laughed, shoving a forkful of pie into his mouth, "That's what you get for being so handsome, Ceddie."

"The Hufflepuff Prince!" Alec laughed.

Cedric groaned and banged his head onto Adelaide's shoulder, ignoring her yelp of surprise and pain. "Where did you hear that?"

Jack suppressed a grin, "Ginny told me some girls were calling you that."

"And you told _everyone_?"

Jack laughed, "No, the twins did."

Cedric groaned louder this time, "Merlin, I'm going to bloody _kill_ them."

Cedric begged Adelaide to escort him out of the Great Hall as people began to filter out and laughing hysterically again at the situation, she agreed. Taking his arm, she guided him out of the Hall. They were in one of the halls and were aware of the gaggle of girls still walking behind them, whispering and tittering. She turned her head to glare at them briefly, satisfied when they stopped mid-step, wide-eyed and scared. Seconds later however, she heard their footsteps and giggles. Losing her patience at the whole ridiculous situation and still frustrated with DADA, she turned around abruptly on her heel, glaring at the girls and swinging Cedric around so he too could face his stalkers.

"Oi! What are you doing following a 5th year around! He's much too old for all of you! And Merlin! Stop gaping at him like he's a tasty pudding! He's much too nice to tell you, but I'm not, so bugger off! He's too old for you and he's tired of being followed around! Give the boy some peace! Well?" She paused angrily, "Sod off!"

She spoke with such an authoritative and frightening air that the girls were frozen in place for a moment before scurrying off.

Cedric let out a sigh of relief and gave Adelaide a tired, grateful hug. "Merlin, thanks, Addie."

She was about to pinch his arm when a snide voice emerged from next to one of the statues of armor. "Two boyfriends, Hayworth? Oliver _and_ Cedric? One rival Quidditch player not enough for you?"

She bit her tongue to stop from retorting and clenched her fist so as not to reach for her wand to hex him. With a cold laugh Callum stalked off before Cedric could fully comprehend what was said and formulate any kind of retaliation. But she felt his fingers gripping her shoulder as Callum disappeared down the hall.

Adelaide pulled away slightly from the hug, but didn't look Cedric in the eye, still trying to control her anger. But she looked up at him when he spoke, "What was _that_ about?"

Adelaide had never seen Cedric angry – she had seen him grumpy and frustrated and disgruntled, but never truly angry. He was too nice, too calm, too laidback to be easily riled. But with a few words, Callum had angered Cedric. His hazel eyes were darker then usual, his features hard and yet even without his "charming smile" he still looked like her Cedric. She could see his anger bubbling, ready to surface; he was ready to burst with such anger and Adelaide was nervous. He turned to her when she didn't respond but she was now staring at the clenched fist at his side, his knuckles white. His other hand was still on her shoulder although now it was gentle and comforting.

"Addie," he tried again softly but she could still hear his anger. "What was Westcott on about?" He paused again, swallowing. "I know you said he ended up being a prat last term, but," he paused and Adelaide looked up as he seemed to struggle for words, "I thought, well, one of the guys said he, well, that he _liked_ you."

He looked back at her face, trying to swallow his sudden anger. She, in turn, tried to mask a wince, "Well, he _did_, I think, but he got mad, I think, when I had to ignore him before the match."

Cedric's anger seemed to bubble up again and he said defensively, "But that's _no_ reason to insinuate that you're some slut!"

Adelaide tried to ignore the nagging feeling that she was in essence lying to Cedric: Callum may not have called her a slut that time, but he had before. And Adelaide had avoided telling her best friend, and she was going to continue to, if she could help it. She didn't want this suddenly anger Cedric to get more anger to only go and attack Callum in their common room later.

"Well," she tried to reason, "he probably heard the rumor about us, saw this and he saw Oliver and I talking on the train."

Cedric was indignant, "Talking! _Talking_! Merlin, Addie, then you might as well have a _dozen_ boyfriends!"

Adelaide lost hold of her tongue, "Don't you think I know?"

Her voice rang out in the empty hallway, her breathing heavy as she tried to control herself. Cedric was startled out of his anger and immediately wrapped his arms around her stoic shoulders, "Addie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean," he took a breath, "I just got so angry –"

"I know –"

" – that prat! Merlin what a bloody wanker, liking you then getting insanely jealous. And I just _lost _it – I mean I could have –"

Adelaide's arms snaked around his torso, resting her head on the bottom of his shoulder, calming down significantly and terrible comfortable. "I know, Ceddie, I know." She chuckled softly, "I've never seen you angry."

He chuckled, his head resting on top of hers, "Well, when your best friend gets accused like that," he paused and brought his hands to her shoulders to push her back slightly so he could look at her face. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, her eyes meeting his, "He's just a stupid wanker. Are _you_ okay?"

He shrugged good-naturedly, seeing her wry smile and put his arm around her shoulder to continue down the hall, "As long as you don't stop talking to me and the boys, I'm fine."

They walked down the hall, discussing Cedric's prefect duties and the legendary prefect's bathroom, pretending that the fan club and Callum incidents had never happened. But they were not things that could be easily forgotten.

--

Adelaide coult not help but be anxious and irritated the next few days and came very close to losing her temper with her friends. She didn't know why she was being so moody but felt lazy and cheap blaming it all on puberty and Lockhart. Neil was going to holding try-outs earlier than last year, determined to win the Cup again. Her classes _were_ much harder than previous years and even though Adelaide liked to learn and didn't mind all the work, she sometimes got herself into terribly frazzled states wanting everything to be perfect, wanting to get everything done early and wanting to do extra.

But it was the "fan clubs" that annoyed and irritated her most. Mia and Jessie were sitting closer to her and her friends at meals, stealing glances at her brothers and Alec and occasionally Brendan. And every time she walked with Cedric in the halls there seemed to be a group of girls not far behind them. Even Oliver had girls glancing at him longingly attempting to flirt with him.

Hufflepuff was thankful, therefore that the twins didn't seem to fall victim to the same sort of fan-club; rather they were _friends_ with the girls that hung around them and Lee and Adelaide liked them immensely when she met them, even though they were all on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. These girls even enjoyed the twins' pranks and Adelaide was pleased to see the twins getting on so well. And she was _very_ pleased when they would tease Cedric, Jack and Neil almost endlessly.

Jack was the most uncomfortable with the fan clubs: he was too shy and too modest to understand why these young(er) girls would want to follow him around like chicks. He told Adelaide that it was just because he was a "Prefect and a Seeker" and Adelaide didn't have the nerve to tell him otherwise.

Someone else _did_ however.

They were sitting out on the lawn that Sunday, the day after Neil had picked a 7th-year boy, Paul McGinley, to replace Nancy, working on the edge of the lake. Adelaide was looking out across the flat, glassy surface, lost in a reverie as the warm sun beat down on her face, her parchment and quill laid forgotten on her lap. Cymbelia was brushing up on various charms they had learned in previous years, Neil was scribbling away eagerly, Alec snored softly and Norah and Ewan sat farther down the edge doing "couply things" that the others were trying to ignore.

Adelaide was broken out of her daydream when Cymbelia let out a disgusted snort, "Merlin couldn't they go farther away – maybe where we can't see them?"

Adelaide frowned as she looked over to see the two snogging and could only mutter, "Bloody hell." She glanced at her forgotten parchment and sighed, picking it up again before looking up as Jack plopped down beside her.

He was grumbling incoherently but Adelaide suspected he was _yet again_ complaining. She didn't bother to say anything, instead trying to ignore him. But soon his mutterings and musings grew louder and before any one in the group could react, Cymbelia threw her bowl down, causing it to crack loudly.

"Jack," she said fiercely as everyone turned to her in shock. "Stop acting like a prick!" Those girls don't follow you around because you're a prefect or seeker! Why are you _fishing_ for compliments? They think you're sweet and kind and smart. And you prat they think you're handsome – and they like that your deep, stormy eyes are always so attentive and passionate and concerned for your friends, they like that you don't know that you're blonde hair looks more strawberry in the sun –" she paused, her green eyes widening when she realized what she was saying. She stood up briskly, trying to keep her face hard and annoyed when she said, "Stop fishing for compliments, you, you prat!"

Everyone sat frozen as she stormed off. Jack sputtered, confused and looked at Adelaide for some sort of explanation. "Wha – what was that?"

Adelaide shook her head, staring at the spot Cymbelia had just occupied. "I – I, don't know."

Neil couldn't help but grin at his brother, "Well? She said she thought you sensitive and handsome," he paused, trying not to laugh, "but she _did_ call you a prat."

"And a prick," Alec piped up.

Jack nodded, ignoring them and looked out over the lake and no one wanted to tease him anymore since he looked _so_ terribly confused.

--

Adelaide found Cymbelia half an hour later lying on her four-poster bed staring silently at the canopy. Adelaide approached the bed and sat on the end of it, surprised but pleased when her friend moved her legs so she could sit more comfortably, thereby acknowledging her presence. "You okay?" It was an awkward question and Adelaide inwardly winced.

Cymbelia sighed, "I didn't mean to – I don't know what –"she faltered but sat up to look her friend in the eye. "You aren't _mad_ are you?"

Adelaide's mouth fell open in shock, "Mad?" She started to laugh outright, "Merlin, were you afraid I was going to be _mad_?"

Cymbelia blushed slightly playing with a pull on her comforter, "Well, no. I mean, partly. I was – am – more worried that Jack would reject me or would claim to be too busy or some nonsense and I _really_ like being a prefect with him," she paused and looked back up at her friend, "was he – embarrassed?"

Adelaide shook her head again, "More confused. You called him sweet and handsome and then went and called him a prat."

Cymbelia let out a little laugh, her throat still tight with too many emotions. "If I act normally do you think he will too? Do you think he'll still want to be friends?"

Adelaide watched her friend closely as she thought out an appropriate response. Jack would probably be too shy to acknowledge the situation if she made no mention of it, but she was not sure _how_ Jack would react to Cymbelia's declaration of some kind of feelings. So she said carefully, "If that's what you _want_," she trailed off for a second, "certainly."

Cymbelia nodded, trying to appear at ease and the subject was dropped when they heard Mia and Jessie coming up the stairs and hastily pulled books out to appear as though they were working.

--

To someone who was not privy to the goings-on of the day before, the 5th year Ravenclaws seemed perfectly normal: laughing, chatting, eating and studying. But those in on the matter knew otherwise. Jack was more quiet and contemplative then usual, Cymbelia less easy-going and happy, Neil more loud and rambunctious, Adelaide more tense and irritable and Alec more perplexed and confused then ever.

Adelaide felt guilty and wanted to yell and shout at her brother and friend to just have it out or to ignore the entire situation and had to excuse herself from the lunch table before she did just that. Cymbelia, however, followed her out and said uneasily, "I have _rounds_ with him tonight."

Adelaide nodded, her eyes betraying her impatience. When she saw the hurt evident on her friends face however, she softened. "Either tell him you like him or act normally, joke around with him like you used to. Make him feel at ease."

Cymbelia nodded and pulled her friend into a tight hug, "You're right, of course you are," she laughed and let her go, running back in to the stormy Great Hall. "Things'll be back to normal now, Adelaide!"

With a resigned sigh, Adelaide trudged to the library, doubtful that they ever would be but desperately hoping she was wrong.

She wanted to talk to someone, wanted to express her vexation, her confusion, her anger, but didn't want to burden anyone with such stupid, trivial things. She didn't want to tell Cedric about Jack and Cymbelia nor the truth about Callum and she didn't want to bother Oliver anymore with that. The twins were out of the question, although she was sure Fred would listen seriously, if he were alone. Percy would want nothing to do with it, too occupied with his dreams of being Head Boy and Ron was too passionate and temperamental to keep quiet. And poor Ginny was too young and probably too occupied with her first year at Hogwarts, much as Adelaide herself had been.

But then a thought occurred to her. Hadn't Charlie expressed a year ago when he had left that he wanted to know _everything_ that happened? Wasn't he once her confidant? Didn't he owe her for not coming home for a quick visit that summer? She knew she could trust him, knew he wouldn't pass judgment and knew he wouldn't give her unwanted advice or tease her. He would just listen. Or rather, just read.

So Adelaide quickened her pace to the library, determined to write a long letter to Charlie, one she _knew_ he deserved if only as payback and one she did not know he was anxiously wanting.

--

Charlie was thrilled and more then a little relieved when he got Adelaide's owl. He had been worried that her claims and threats of not speaking to him and being angry with him because he did not make it to St. Ottery that summer were not a joke as he had assumed (and hoped). So that night, after eating in the mess hall and after a quick shower, he rushed back to his tent to read the letter he had been looking forward to reading all day.

He sat on his bed and picked up the thick letter and tried to ignore a nagging feeling: she had written long letters of course, but never quite _this_ long…

He smiled slightly when he saw the familiar small, slightly-looping letters written on slanted lines, a trap she often fell into when she was writing quickly or excitedly. His smile faded, however, when he began to read Adelaide's cautionary introduction, demanding he promise _not_ to tell anyone, not to worry, that she and everyone else were fine and that she only burdened him _'with this nonsense'_ because she needed to get all of it off her chest and he _'owed'_ her.

'_Not to mention, Charlie, I trust you the most, don't I? You did say you wanted to be my confidant again.'_

Charlie grumbled, knitting his brows. It was typical of Adelaide to bring something like that up in the beginning to guilt him into keeping quiet.

He continued reading, trying to keep his anger in check as he read the entire story of Callum: from their introduction, to the quick and innocent conversations, the conversation with her mother, her own _'foolish, girly musings'_, to the mixed-up situations, the ill-fated match and blow-up to the incident on the train. Charlie wanted nothing more then to fly to Hogwarts right then on a dragon, on a broom, he didn't care, and throttle that boy before throwing him into the middle of the lake to fend for himself.

What pained Charlie the most about this letter, however, was Adelaide's frankness about the situation, her irritation with herself that she had _actually_ believed he liked her, that she had _fancied_ him. She felt guilty for Oliver's involvement, guilty that she didn't tell anyone else, guilty that she had led Callum to believe she liked him more then she did and that she was purposefully blowing him off. She wasn't stupid enough to fully blame herself – she knew Callum was apparently a bloody sexist prat, but Charlie's heart tightened a little when he read:

'_I mean, Charlie, maybe I am partly to blame. He did say I was the first girl he'd ever asked to Hogsmeade so maybe he wasn't used to girls? Maybe he took my friendliness for flirting? I do think he meant to kiss me that one night but I had no idea what was going on – could he be that thick? To think that I'm a – whore? Maybe I did lead him on, without knowing it._

_Merlin, Charlie, that can't be right though, can it? Boys don't see me as 'Adelaide Hayworth, girlfriend' they see me as 'Adelaide Hayworth, one of the guys'. How could Callum – or any boy for that matter – see me as some flirty girl?'_

This affected Charlie more than he could have anticipated. He was not one for relationships, but that didn't mean he didn't like girls, nor did it mean he didn't want girls to like him. But Adelaide _truly believed_ that boys would never like hr enough as a _girl_, as someone they'd want to kiss. And this Callum had probably ruined it for her. Whatever hope or wish she may have unknowingly harbored, Callum had taken it and crushed it within the course of a few months.

But his pain for Adelaide didn't continue long because then with a _'I nearly forgot!'_ wrote about the incident with Cedric and her subsequent guilt for not telling him the whole truth as she was telling Charlie. His blood boiled again at Callum but Adelaide had changed gears again and was writing all about Jack, Cedric and Neil's fan-clubs, the popularity of the twins and Oliver's denial and ignorance of his own fan-clubs. He smiled to himself as she told him of her annoyance and irritation of these clubs, her hope that Cymbelia and Jack would just continue on normally, her failed attempts to knock some sense into Neil's head and the numerous occasions she had to _'save Cedric'._

'_What has happened to my once shy and quiet Cedric? Now he has a fan club, is a respected prefect and Seeker and unofficial Prince of Hufflepuff!'_

Charlie laughed, knowing full well that Adelaide was please Cedric was no longer as shy as he once was and knew he wasn't organizing these clubs.

But the letter ended seriously, wanting advice or assurance or _something_ to help keep her head on, to not lose her temper. She wasn't _jealous_, was she? Did she sound it? Did this happen to Charlie? Maybe it _was_ Lockhart? She wasn't afraid of running into Callum, but she wasn't really looking _forward_ to the possibility…

'_Charlie, you must think I'm a bloody mess. You must be thinking 'What has happened to my once intelligent Addie?' because I know I am. This letter is so utterly dramatic – Charlie! I'm not a mess, I promise! I didn't mean to complain so much but so many bizarre things have happened and –'_

Her writing stopped abruptly and picked up again a few lines down the page.

'_I am sorry to burden you like this, Charlie. I'm fine. It does feel good to tell someone all this, but I promise this will be the last dramatic letter ever. Jack and Cymbelia just stopped by during rounds and they're fine. Back to normal. I'm done with the fan clubs, going to ignore them. Going to buckle down as Amos says, focus on lessons and Quidditch…_

_Thanks for reading this, Charlie._

_Love, _

_Your Addie_

_P.S. KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT'_

Charlie chuckled in spite of himself and closing the letter, turned off the oil lamp with his wand and laid back on his bed, planning on writing back to her tomorrow when his mind was fresh and _calm_.

--

Adelaide had already resolved to ignore her friends' various relationship woes, the fan clubs and any romantic thoughts, situations or even theories and devoted all of her time to her studies and Quidditch. This was, of course, easier said then done.

It wasn't that her friends were always _talking_ about such things, they were too 'intelligent' and 'mature' for that but there would be glances, annoyed expressions and grumblings and these were even more aggravating. But Adelaide would bite her tongue and do her best to ignore it all.

Charlie's letter helped ease her mind of course, telling her these 'novelties' would soon wear off with O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s that were looming, the fan clubs would 'get bored' until the beginning of next year after the summer holidays had made the young girls 'pine' for their crushes. And he made her laugh loudly in the library when she read:

'_And I'm sure you're not telling me about the various 'Adelaide Hayworth' fan clubs. I bet even the Slytherins want in. Now that I know you're laughing (even though that wasn't a joke, Addie!) just remind yourself every time your get annoyed or feel yourself losing your temper (which will be often) just remember how utterly foolish these fan clubs are, how loony all these students have become. And you'll feel better.'_

After Madame Pince reprimanded her, Adelaide smiled to herself: Charlie was right. She did need to remind herself of those aforementioned truthful facts.

But it was the closing that got her kicked out of the library for the night"

'_And don't tell me you weren't a member of a 'Charlie Weasley' fan club, Addie! Such a blatant lie, such a denial would wound me so! I, myself, am a proud card-holder for the 'Adelaide Hayworth, Best Ravenclaw Chaser Ever Club'!'_

--

Adelaide had never been more thrilled or anxious for the tough, strenuous Quidditch practices then she was during those first few weeks. And so she was particularly pleased when Neil took the initiative and kicked everyone off the pitch during practice. Adelaide tried to hide her glee – to no avail – as she watched a few groups of girls sulk out of the stands. Neil may have liked the attention, may have even adored it, but he was _not_ about to risk losing _any_ productivity during a practice because of giggling girls.

Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw was the first match of the season and Neil was determined to essentially "annihilate" their opponents. This time, however, he did not demand they ignore the Hufflepuffs; they were free to speak with whomever they so choosed.

Neil would never admit it to his team (he couldn't risk possible haughtiness) but he thought they were as ready as ever. Paul, Alec, and Adelaide worked better together then they even had with Nancy, Riley and Tim were finally completely in sync and Jack had even improved greatly since last year.

So Neil woke up that morning more pleased than ever: they were on their way to winning the Cup for the second year in a row.

The Ravenclaw team always ate together and left the Hall together, usually walking down the lawn to the locker room separately for last minute reflections. Unsurprisingly, the Ravenclaws were the most self-disciplined and stoic of the four teams. Adelaide walked across the lawn, trying to rid her mind of all thought before it would be filled with only thoughts of the Quidditch when she heard someone yell her name from behind her. Surprised, she spun around to see Oliver jogging towards her.

"Oliver? Why are you going down to the pitch so early?"

He had finally caught up to her, frowning, his brown eyes serious, his voice deep with worry. "I don't mean to startle you, lass," Adelaide's brows rose. He never called _her_ lass. "But Callum is looking bloody fierce – mental, really. I, I know ye can take care of yerself but," he paused, clearing his throat. "Just watch out for him."

Adelaide examined Oliver's face for a moment, her mind groggy as she tried to absorb this information after clearing her mind only seconds before. She started and Oliver looked even more concerned at her lack of emotions or speech. But then it all came _rushing_ back to her. "Callum, right," she took a breath, "thanks, Oliver, you're probably right – he _might_ try something." She scrunched up her nose, "But he didn't last time and he's no Slytherin. He's a Hufflepuff."

Oliver went to warn her again but Adelaide had smiled and he forgot whatever it was he was going to say.

--

"Perfect day to kick some Hufflepuff arse," Neil said to his team as he led them on to the pitch, grinning at the cheering crowd.

Adelaide took a deep breath of the fresh air as she mounted her broom, ignoring the faces of her opponents. One of Cedric's friends and her year-mate, Stephen, was one of the new Chasers so Adelaide now knew four of her opponents fairly well. "Just like playing against Gryffindor," she told herself. Her eyes glanced towards the Gryffindor stands where she could clearly make out five very red heads grinning and cheering and amongst them a worried-looking brown-haired Scotsman. She turned away, readying herself for the whistle. She had _nothing_ to worry about.

As soon as the whistle blew and she could feel the rush of the wind around her, she forgot all about Oliver's worry and Callum's anger: she was in her element, the happiest she had been all term. She played as well as she had last term, stealing and intercepting, using her old shots on Cook who was still not used to them. She attempted variations on her signature shots and soon Ravenclaw was leading 80-10.

Adelaide was grinning as she flew against the wind, sneaking under one of the Chasers, she didn't know who, and grabbed the Quaffle with both hands, as she flew up and looped around to head towards Cook's hoops. She held on to the Quaffle with both hands for only a few seconds, readying to stick it under one arm. When there was a large gust of wind so she gripped tighter. And suddenly everything went black.

--

Opening her eyes proved difficult. They fluttered and blinked several times before they could completely open. "Adelaide!" She turned her head slightly to her right to see her brothers leaning over her, relief evident on their faces.

"What –" her voice was scratchy and hoarse.

"You don't remember?" Neil frowned at her.

She felt someone squeeze her hand and her eyes traveled around the bed she was lying on and it suddenly hit her: she was in the Hospital Wing. She frowned as she saw Cymbelia sitting next to Jack, the twins at the end of her bed and Oliver and Cedric on her left.

"Callum knocked you off," Cedric said softly, frowning.

"And I fell?"

No one answered as Madame Pomfrey bustled out of her office and shoved Neil and Jack back so she could shove a spoon down Adelaide's throat, "Just more Skele-Gro, dear. I can give you some dreamless sleep later. You had a nasty fall. That sport has more injuries," and she trailed off muttering. "You'll have to stay here tonight and visitors will have to leave soon. And remember," she said sternly, "no more then seven visitors."

Adelaide didn't even get an opportunity to nod before Pomfrey bustled off to another cot down the end of the room. She looked at the twins as Jack and Neil helped her to sit up against the pillows, "Remind you of your mum much?"

The twins started to laugh too but then Adelaide clenched her jaw as she felt her right arm and leg flame up in pain. She gripped Cedric's hand and threw her head back as she could almost feel her bones knitting and mending together. But the agony was over quickly and she looked at Oliver. "Callum did this?"

He nodded and said quietly, "I already told them everything."

And with that short confession, the dam broke.

Adelaide raised her hands after a few moments of hurt and confused questions and accusations. "It wasn't a big deal at the time, I took care of it and I didn't want any of you to worry or get in trouble beating him up. And I'm okay now aren't I?"

"I got Hoffman to kick him off the team," Cedric said, "you should have told me that day after dinner."

"Snape gave him a month's detention," Cymbelia added.

"He already hated Westcott," Oliver smiled ruefully.

"And loves you," Neil finished, squeezing her hand. "Are you all right?"

Adelaide sighed, "Please tell me exactly what happened?"

They told her in turns what happened when Callum had flew into her without stopping, when they had heard her broom crack.

Her face fell, "My broom is broken?"

Neil frowned at her as Cedric tucked her hair behind her ear and continued, "And then your head knocked into your broom and the Quaffle before Callum elbowed you, grabbed the Quaffle and left you for the hoops –"

"He scored," Neil muttered, "because I saw you falling – but Snape thankfully levitated you before you hit the ground –"

"But Lockhart, in his haste –"

"And no thanks to his bloody stupidity," Oliver said darkly.

" – Knocked into him and you fell about ten feet."

"Broke your arm in the three places and your leg."

Adelaide looked to Jack when he took her hand gingerly, "I didn't know you were hurt and neither did Cedric – we were chasing the Snitch and were way higher then the crowds and didn't hear the commotion until it was too late."

Adelaide smiled at her brothers and her best friends, "It's fine, guys. It's fine. I'm fine," she tried to cover a yawn.

Cymbelia stood and gave her friend a hug, "Get some sleep so you can come back tomorrow, help us with Transfiguration," she smiled, "I knew you'd be fine." Cymbelia winked and looked meaningfully at Jack and Neil.

They both gave their sister hugs and a kiss on the cheek, "You'll be fine, we knew you would," Jack said, trying to hide his guilt.

"You know," Neil said, "my right arm really hurt when you broke yours."

Adelaide glared at him, but her face broke into a grin. "If I could, Neil, I'd hit you. Now, go. And none of you," she looked around at her friends, "are to hurt him. It won't help anything." Her eyes rested on the twins who feigned innocence.

"We weren't planning on hurting him, Addie –"

" – Just a few hi-jinks maybe, nothing _serious_."

Adelaide rolled her eyes and laughed as they patted her on the head and left the wing. She tried to stifle a yawn and Madame Pomfrey popped her head out of her office, "10 minutes!"

Cedric squeezed her hand again, "Why didn't you tell me, Addie? Did you not think you could trust me?"

She could see the hurt in his eyes and her heart sank: she never felt so guilty in her life. She turned slightly to see Oliver walk to the other side of the room to give them some privacy. "Ced," she said softly, "I knew I could trust you but I also trusted you to get detention for beating him up." She smiled when he laughed, "Sorry you had to get him kicked off the team."

Cedric tucked more hair behind her ear, his hazel eyes both sad and twinkling. "We can't have some prat who doesn't think girls can play on our team."

She laughed, "Go away, Ceddie, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled, "and thanks, Ced."

Cedric leaned over to kiss her cheek just as her brothers had, "What are best friends for?"

He stood up and nodded to Wood before walking out of the Hospital Wing.

She tried to smile at Oliver as he walked back to Cedric's vacated seat, but it looked more like a grimace.

"I _had_ to tell them," he whispered. Adelaide nodded, not able to look at him but he continued. "They weren't mad at _you_, Adelaide. They were mad that I knew and they didn't. They were mad that I didn't make you tell them," he sighed and lifted her chin up so she'd look at him. "Adelaide, don't beat yourself up over this, okay? You did the right thing and if Westcott gets hexed now it'll be his own fault."

Adelaide chuckled, "Thanks, Oliver. I'm glad _you_ told them so I wouldn't have to." She paused and stared at him for a moment. She wished she knew what he was thinking, why he looked so concerned and so angry and so – she just wished she could decipher the emotions on his face. "How bad was it?"

She watched as his face turned into a grimace and his hand took her own. "You don't remember any of it?"

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "It was bad, Adelaide. Merlin, it was bad. You broke all those bones, you hit your head on you broom on Callum's elbow and on the ground, we were all so worried," he paused and looked at their hands. "Pomfrey had a fit and implement the seven visitors rule."

Adelaide was confused, "What, why?"

"The whole Ravenclaw team, all the Weasleys, Cedric, your brothers, those girls Norah and Cymbelia, Cedric's friends from Hufflepuff – Cook and Stephen and Ewan? And Snape, Lockhart, Flitwick and even Dumbledore, Potter and their friend, Granger even tried to sneak into."

Adelaide laughed, "Merlin, was it that bad, that everyone I've ever talked to tried to get in?"

But her laughter died almost immediately when Oliver looked back at her with those terribly sad, brown eyes, his mouth a mix between a grimace and a frown, his eyebrows knit together, "Adelaide you didn't wake up for hours and Pomfrey was worried your concussion was worse than she initially thought. We, I was so worried," he looked at her with such pain and guilt that her heart skipped a beat, "it would have been all my fault Adelaide, I was so scared I –"

She hadn't realized that his face was getting closer to hers nor that her thumb was lightly rubbing over his hand, trying to subconsciously console him. His eyes were boring into her and she couldn't describe for the life of her what she was feeling as she watched as he opened his mouth to speak, his eyes flickering across her face, when Pomfrey bustled noisily out of her office.

"All right, Ms. Hayworth needs her rest," she shoved Oliver out who with one final squeeze of her hand tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "Goodnight, Adelaide."

She couldn't muster anything to say, to thank him because the little path his fingers strayed across her face paralyzed her. She didn't listen to what Pomfrey was saying as she stared at the door Oliver had just walked out of when the nurse tugged on her chin to open her mouth. "Sleepless dream," Adelaide had made out when the women adjusted her pillows so Adelaide was once again flat on her back.

And for the second time that day, all was black.

--

Madame Pomfrey allowed Adelaide to leave early the next morning before any of her friends came to visit again. Under the fresh clothes Cymbelia had left, the twins had left the Map, presumably in case Adelaide wanted to sneak out while Pomfrey was asleep. Checking to make sure her friends were elsewhere and that Snape was in his office, Adelaide made her way down to the cold, dark dungeons.

"Professor," she said softly when she opened the door when she received no response to her knock.

Snape rose from his seat with a typical flourish, "Ah, Ms. Hayworth, Madame Pomfrey released you?" He gestured to the chair on the other side of his desk. "How are you feeling?" He sat down again, his black eyes revealing his genuine concern.

"Fine, thanks, sir. I really don't think it was as bad as everyone made it out to be," she paused and sat down, clasping her hands on her lap, trying to figure out how exactly to thank him. He watched her, careful to hide his knowing smile. "Professor," she looked up and saw his twinkling eyes and she felt much more at ease; she always did have a soft spot for the Potions Professor, no matter what anyone else thought. "I hear that I am indebted to you."

Professor Snape smiled ruefully, "Well, had it not been for a certain _colleague_ of mine," he said this with more then his usual contempt, "you would have fewer broken bones."

"Thank you, Professor, for saving me from certain doom."

Snape nodded, clearly uncomfortable with such declarations of gratitude. "It would have looked poorly for a student to have died at the hands of a Neanderthal," he drawled. Adelaide covered her escaped laugh with a strangled cough. "But I do suggest, Ms. Hayworth, that you mind who you anger with that sharp tongue of yours."\

Adelaide nodded at Snape's serious expression, "Yessir, of course."

"Now, if that is all Ms. Hayworth, I'm sure my best Potions student does not need any extra help," he stood up, "I have a detention coming in – ah," his voice changed to his typical annoyed drawl, "Mr. Wood."

Adelaide spun around in her seat, "Oliver? You have a detention with Snape?"

Oliver opened his mouth but Snape spoke first, "Ms. Hayworth, if you please, as much as Mr. Westcott deserved it, I can not allow a student to go unpunished for hexing another in a very crowded and very public corridor."

Adelaide turned back to her professor and said hurriedly in her shock and confusion, "Er, course, sorry Professor, didn't mean to – er, thanks again." And with a nod to Snape, perplexed at his blank face, she turned around to go, staring at Oliver. But he was staring at his feet as she walked past him and didn't see her confusion or surprise, nor did he notice when she turned around at the door before with a shake of her head, she left.

--

She ran into the twins who were teasing Peeves, presumably encouraging him to wreak havoc on Filch or Mrs. Norris in one of the halls, and once she surrendered the Map, they demanded to take her to the kitchens.

"Where were you, anyhow, Hayworth?" Fred demanded, poking her arm.

"Went to thank Snape."

George let out a disgusted cry and covered his ears, "I'm pretending I never heard that," he sang loudly.

"As much as I don't like him, he did pull through yesterday," Fred said in his stoic-manner that almost put Percy's oft-pomposity to shame. "Word round the halls is you're one of his favorite students."

Adelaide shrugged at Fred's accusatory glance, "I am good at Potions, Weasley. And anyway, what was he going to do? Let me fall?"

They reached the painting, George still singing, so Fred tickled the pear. Once the House Elves were done shoving food and drink in their faces Adelaide asked nonchalantly, "Any of you lot try anything on Westcott yet?"

She watched the pair shoot each other a sidelong glance. "All right, spill, you know I can read you two better then anyone and don't you _dare_ try to lie."

They frowned at her: she was right. Adelaide knew the twins better then their own mother did: she knew when they were planning mischief, when they were lying, when they were hiding something, when they were even thinking of doing something. They didn't know how she knew – not even Jack nor Neil were as keen as she was. Not even Charlie could read the twins as well. Not that the twins minded: Adelaide rarely tattled on them and only confronted them in private. Now, however, they wished she weren't so bloody observant.

" Adelaide , we don't know what you're insinuating –"

" – But we don't like it one bit." After a long, hard glare, however, George heaved a great sigh. "Tell her."

"Well, apparently last night Westcott made the mistake of being in the common room and apparently Cedric's friends wanted to beat him up, but Cedric said he couldn't allow that. As a prefect and all."

Adelaide nodded brightly and took a spoonful of her oatmeal. "Good."

"So," Fred continued, "they took him out to the corridor and when no one was coming, Cedric punched him a few times."

Adelaide groaned, "Oh, Merlin."

But George continued, "Fred and I slipped him a few of our – um, experiments."

"None worked really though –"

"Yet," George grinned wickedly but it vanished when he looked back at Adelaide .

"Right, and then before that, Oliver hexed him in the corridor –"

"Got him really good too –"

"Nothing dangerous of anything. And Snape caught him anyway. Gave Oliver detention."

Adelaide groaned again, "I knew this would happen."

Fred was suddenly angry, " Adelaide , he deserves it! He was a bloody git and he hurt you! He broke your broom! He nearly killed you!"

George continued the speech just as heartily, " Adelaide , the whole school is angry! Well, not all the Slytherins, but some of them were glaring at Westcott! He's got way more enemies then friends now!"

Adelaide shook her head in disbelief, "I'm sure most of the Quidditch players were disappointed I won't be sitting out."

George opened his mouth hastily but Fred shot him a warningly look and shook his head as Adelaide turned back to her food. Fred knew that Adelaide would never believe that more then half of the student body liked her, if only for her Quidditch skills or because she was the only female triplet. And once the story of Westcott's fury had gotten out and it was soon realized it _wasn't_ an accident, very few students were pleased. But if Fred knew Adelaide , and he knew he did, she would never believe it.

Once Adelaide had finished her late breakfast, the twins escorted her to the Ravenclaw Tower , not taking no for an answer. "Everyone's going to walk with me everywhere, aren't they?"

George grinned, "Probably, yep."

Adelaide groaned when they finally reached their destination, "All right, well, thanks for breakfast, I'll probably see you soon, won't I?"

"Most likely," Fred smiled.

"And it would be futile to tell you two to not slip him anything else?"

Fred looked at his twin, "Futile. What a _Percy_ word."

"Indeed, Gred. Very Percival-esque."

"Oh, now that's a _great_ word –"

Adelaide rolled her eyes and turned to answer the riddle as the twins wandered off, still musing to each other in a very "Weasley Twin-esque" way.

--

Adelaide spent most of the day in the Ravenclaw common room; her friends would not leave her alone for even a moment, although they were trying to be discreet about it. She was thankful when most of the Ravenclaws had left her alone, only her friends and teammates came to see how she was feeling. As she worked on a Charms paper, telling Cymbelia for what felt like the fourteenth time that no, her head _didn't_ hurt, and sandwiched between Neil and Alec, her mind kept wandering. How long was Oliver's detention? What had Snape made him do since he didn't seem that mad? Why wasn't Snape angry? Oliver was a Gryffindor and Snape rarely liked any Gryffindors. Why had Oliver taken it upon himself to hex Callum in a crowded corridor?

"Addie? How's your essay coming?"

"Hm?" She turned her head towards Neil, "Uh, fine, yea. Nearly finished."

He sent her a knowing look but didn't press as she turned back to her paper frowning, her brain a jumbled mess. She twirled her quill between in her fingers and thought, "There goes my drama-free term."

--

Dinner that night in the Great Hall felt like it had been taken straight out of one of the American Muggle movies Adelaide had seen: as soon as she walked through the threshold, the usual dinner-sounds, the clanging and scraping of utensils, the idle chatter, the laughter, immediately ceased. Taking a deep breath, determined to act as though nothing was wrong, Adelaide walked down the Hall towards the Ravenclaw table, her year-mates behind her as some sort of entourage which she feared was only making matters worse. She had been expecting a few glares and stares, some snickering and snide remarks considering she had procured numerous injuries in front of the entire school, but what she hadn't expected was the complete and utter silence she was now being dealt. She kept her eyes straight ahead, focused on finding a seat at her table, preferably at the end of the long table. She was determined to keep her composure.

But when she stole a sideways glance over some of the heads of her fellow students she saw that nearly half of the pairs of eyes had turned from her to a lone figure at the Hufflepuff table. Had the twins been right? She saw Milton and two of the other 5th year Slytherins glaring in Callum's direction.

Adelaide kept walking to her table, trying not to bemoan her slow pace due to her aching muscles, something she had sworn up and down weren't a problem and tried not to groan at the suddenly never-ending walk to her table: when had the Great Hall gotten so long? But then, out of the awkward and eerie silence, the sound of a fork hitting a plate rang out and Adelaide watched as Oliver stood up and made his way over to the Ravenclaw table. With a small smile and the wave of his hand, he allowed Adelaide to sit down before he sat himself next to her. When she and her friends had finally taken their seats and her brothers, Alec and Oliver glowered around the room, the usual sounds of a Great Hall meal started up again, albeit quieter than usual.

"Thanks," she smiled at Oliver.

He shrugged and started to put food on his new plate, "Couldn't let you get all the attention, could I?"

She grinned at his joke, grateful that he was attempting to lighten the mood and not burden her with questions of "are you all right? Can you walk? Does your head hurt?" She picked up her goblet, her arm brushing against Oliver's and she suddenly became very aware of his presence next to her as goose bumps flared up on her arm. She had eaten meals with him before, sat next to him, so why was she suddenly so aware of the thigh that was barely touching her own? She swallowed and inclined her head towards him to whisper discreetly, "How was your detention?"

Oliver chuckled and turned his head slightly to reply, "Not that bad, although I don't dare tell anyone. Snape swore me to secrecy," he smiled at her reaction. "Apparently he doesn't hate all _Gryffindors_. Although I'm sure it helped that I was hexing the wanker who tried to kill his favorite student," he paused and winked at her, "but don't tell the Weasleys that."

Adelaide tried not to blush as she took a bite of her roast, wondering why her stomach suddenly felt so light and fluttery. She swallowed, convincing herself it was because of Snape's indirect complaint and not the close proximity of one Oliver Wood, nor the wink. "What did you hex him with?"

Oliver didn't get to answer because Cedric had squeezed himself on Adelaide 's other side, pulling her close to him, "You all right?"

Adelaide rolled her eyes, "I'm fine!"

Cedric nodded and stole a piece of roast off her plate, "No one talks to him anymore you know. Been having to dodge hexes and punches and pranks ever since yesterday. Wouldn't be surprised if he leaves next term." Adelaide didn't respond but Cedric pinched her arm. "Stop trying to be noble, Addie! He's a prat. He deserves it. You're allowed to be angry or mental about it."

Adelaide shook her head, "He brought this on himself and he would have done something like that to any girl he fooled himself into believing he fancied, so," she paused and glanced at Oliver. "You understand, right?"

Oliver shrugged over her head at Cedric who shook his head ruefully, "If it were me, I'd want to get revenge, sure. But I'm not you, am I, lass?"

Adelaide sighed, "I'm going to keep mum on this whole predicament. I'm done with it. Being the better person," she frowned and nudged Cedric's arm. "People can make their own decisions on this. I won't condone or –"

Jack rolled his eyes from across the table, "Oi, Neil, we've got a real politician in the making here apparently."

Neil grinned, "Fancy that, a Hayworth campaigning for Minister."

Cedric slung his arm over her shoulder as she tried to reach across the table and punch her brothers but Oliver grabbed her other arm, "No," he grinned at her, "just a typical Ravenclaw."

--

Adelaide left the Great Hall with an even bigger entourage than she had entered with, but she told herself that she should probably get used to this: she was never going to be left alone. But as they were walking up the marble staircase a short, young girl ran up to them and nervously squeaked out, "Um, Adelaide ? Dumbledore would like to see you in his office as soon as you're free."

Adelaide smiled at the girl and barely got to thank her before the girl scurried off again nervous at having to speak in front of such a large group of older students. "All right, I'll see you guys later," Adelaide said as she continued towards the hall that would eventually lead to the Headmaster's office.

There was a slight pause before Cedric said in an attempt to appear nonchalant, "Oh, Adelaide , I can walk with you."

Adelaide sighed and turned so she was facing her friends, "Listen, I really appreciate this. I do, I do, but guys. Come on! I don't need chaperones and babysitters! I'm fine and I can walk to Dumbeldore's office alone."

Neil smiled at his sister as he reached out to ruffle her hair, "She's right guys, come on, she's a big girl."

They reluctantly started to walk away but Cedric said, "You know how to get there? I can –"

"I know where it is, Cedric. Good night." She watched her friends disappear around the corner before she started for Dumbledore's office, wincing at the dull pain that was still present in her legs.

When she reached the gargoyle statue she was surprised to see Professor Snape standing there. "Ah, Ms. Hayworth, the Headmaster asked me to wait here for you since you do not know the password," with a slight smirk he turned and said "lemon drop" before leading Adelaide up the now visible spiral stone staircase.

"Er, Professor," Adelaide started but they had reached a door and Snape knocked once before they heard the Headmaster say, "Enter".

Adelaide barely got a chance to take in all of the gadgets and random items littered across desks and tables and wardrobes before she saw Dumbledore standing behind a large desk, his robes shimmering slightly, "Ah, thank you, Severus, Ms. Hayworth, please sit," the old man smiled serenely, "I no doubt you are curious as to why you were called here."

She sat down on one of the straight-back chairs to the left of both Professors Snape and Flitwick. "Well, sir, I haven't done anything to get in trouble."

Dumbledore chuckled softly, "No, you indeed have not. No, Adelaide, you are here this evening because your professors have brought a few concerns to my attention. Some students," he paused, bring his hands together and watching her from over his half-moon spectacles, "have expressed their trepidations regarding Mr. Westcott. They have informed Professor Flitwick here that his actions yesterday were not an accident but rather that his intentions were malicious and vengeful. And Professor Snape has received similar accusations. Is this true, Adelaide?"

Adelaide continued to stare at her headmaster slightly unnerved at first by his old, clear blue eyes but then she understood that he wasn't blaming or accusing her of anything. He was merely trying to get to the truth. He wanted to bring justice to the situation. "I can not lay claim to know exactly what Callum's intentions were, sir," she said, her voice clear, "but I do believe he _meant_ to physically hurt me."

"But _why_?" Fliwick squeaked.

She chanced a glance at her Head of House and was surprised to see his cheeks pink and his little hands balled up into little fists. "Well," she started, "after the match against Hufflepuff last year, he made it very clear that he did not appreciate me, a girl, beating him so badly," she paused, wondering if she should elaborate any further when Dumbledore poised a question.

"Did he attempt to harm your on that occasion?"

Adelaide nodded, "He made for his wand but," she tried to keep her voice from revealing her pride, "I was quicker and," she hesitated again.

Dumbledore nodded and Adelaide thought she saw a flicker of amusement cross his features, "You won't get into trouble for defending yourself, Ms. Hayworth, please continue."

"Well, I only hexed him once, nothing illegal or bad or harmful or anything, just a ringing in his ears and then," she swallowed, "well, he kept taunting me and," she frowned, "I was angry, and well, I _kicked_ him, sir." She nearly blanched at Dumbledore when he simply nodded. "Oliver, that is, Oliver Wood, was there. He saw what happened, but was too far away to do anything. And Callum didn't try anything the rest of term."

"And this term?"

Adelaide swallowed, "Well, he didn't try anything to physically hurt me, Professor. Just, er, that is, offered some choice words." She grimaced at the ineloquent way she had attempted to relay the incidents. But how exactly could she inform her Headmaster, one of the smartest and most respected Wizards in England that Callum had called her a whore?

"Simply because you're a girl and a better Chaser?" Adelaide did blanche at him this time. Did he somehow _know_? She shrugged off the thought: surely Dumbledore didn't know, no Professors would have known, no one would have told Snape or Flitwick that much, would they've? No, this was simply the usual progression of inquiries when one was trying to solve something.

"Well," she started, her voice no longer as strong or clear as it was at the beginning of their peculiar session. "No, not exactly. He claimed that he had feelings for me; had fooled himself into believing he truly fancied me I'spose." She frowned again, "Claimed that I knew of these feelings, although I don't know how he convinced himself of that, and then claimed that I rejected him harshly and embarrassed him publicly on purpose. Which is a complete fabrication and has no truth to it at all," she added quickly, avoiding looking at Dumbledore's face. She wasn't lying entirely, she didn't know of his feelings nor his declaration of said feelings, but she had had a tiny inkling, hadn't she? Hadn't she fooled herself into fancying him too?

Dumbledore nodded, obviously satisfied with Adelaide 's account, "Your parents have been notified of your injuries, subsequent recovery and the reason behind your injuries. They replied that whatever measures you wish to take, they would support you," he paused and looked gravely down at her. " Adelaide ," he spoke softly, "Mr. Westcott never took advantage of you? You are safe here and can tell the truth if you're scared," he finished, falsely interpreting her blank stare.

Adelaide suddenly felt enraged at such an accusation that she was _scared_. She knew that scores of girls would be afraid or embarrassed or feel guilty if someone took advantage of them, but surely! Shouldn't they have known that Adelaide was not like that? She tried to keep her voice steady when she replied indignantly, "Course not! If he had, I'd be in Azkaban at this moment instead of here chatting with you!"

Snape let out a muffled cough and Adelaide , her temper still flaring, watched Dumledore sneak an amused glance at the man. "Just standard procedure, Ms. Hayworth, you understand."

Adelaide sat back in her seat, still slightly irritated, "Yes, sir."

Dumbledore nodded, "Now, do you wish to register any complaints against Mr. Westcott?"

Adelaide was confused and she looked over at Snape and Flitwick before saying to Dumbledore, "Dumble – sir, it was just a Quidditch match. I mean, there have been worse injuries before."

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, but there has not been substantial evidence that there was malcontent –"

"Surely House Rivalries –"

Dumbledore raised his hand to silence her interruptions. "Mr. Westcott has a month's detention and has been banned from playing Quidditch while at Hogwarts. If you do not wish to press any charges," he paused and she shook her head, "then Mr. Westcott will be given the opportunity to remain at Hogwarts, unless such an incident occurs again."

Adelaide nodded, "That sounds fair, Professor. I doubt Callum will try anything – I mean, since everyone knows now and since my friends are probably watching his every move."

Dumbledore's face remained placid but Adelaide saw his blue eyes twinkle and she smiled, about to stand up to leave when Snape said, "But you will tell us if something does happen? This sort of behavior can not be tolerated."

Adelaide nodded, her brows furrowed at the amount of concern his voice projected and the lack of the typical smirk on his face. He smiled quickly and nodded his head, giving Adelaide her cue to leave.

--

The only times Adelaide was alone again over the next few days was when she was sleeping and when she had managed to fortify her four-poster to write _another_ long letter to Charlie. Her friends claimed they weren't worried for her – she knew her way around hexes and Callum was almost always by himself – but someone always had an excuse to go to the library or the Astronomy Tower when she was going. But Adelaide let it go; she didn't mind since one barely found any alone time in Hogwarts anyway when one was always studying or practicing.

She got a letter from her parents and eventually an angry one from Charlie that both angered and confused her. He was angry at Callum for obvious reasons, but then he was mad that she wasn't more careful, that she hadn't been paying attention to where Callum was, that no one had told him she was hurt sooner. That had confused Adelaide the most: she was in the Hospital Wing for one night, what was Charlie going to do? Fly-in and visit? Then the letter got weird. Charlie told her to find a nice guy to crush on, someone she knew, someone she was friends with. But then, not four lines later, he told her to stay away from boys, she didn't need one and they were dangerous.

Fed up, she threw the letter into her trunk and did her best to forget about it.

--

Aside from never being alone, there were a few changes in Adelaide's usual routine. First, the Slytherin boys in her year were even more civil to her. Their solidarity against Lockhart suddenly increased two-fold: they talked to her more in classes, they nodded at her in the halls and she noticed a few times Milton elbowed one of his Housemates for uttering an unheard comment towards her. While Adelaide welcomed such camaraderie, it seemed to unnerve Neil, Cedric and the twins.

"Why are they being so – _un_Slytherin like to you?"

Adelaide rolled her eyes at George, "Oh, stop. They aren't that bad. Merlin's beard! And besides they probably have some respect for me now, eh? Know that you can't just throw me around." She smiled cheekily at him as Fred scoffed.

The second change was the downturn in practices. Adelaide was now subjected to use the old, often temperamental and unpredictable brooms and this greatly affected her game. Neil made her swear that she would spend her savings to at least by a better, used broom. He didn't offer to chip in.

Then, there were the boys and a few girls who asked for help in Potions. She would be sitting at meals or in the library or waiting outside a classroom and younger students would ask for her help. She thought nothing of it at first, told them they should ask Snape or find a tutor, but they all said the same thing: "But I heard you're the best."

At first she was flattered and would help those that she could quickly in the library or the Great Hall, until a group of six 3rd year boys begged for help that night: they wanted her to be an _actual_ tutor. She reluctantly agreed, reiterating that it would only be _one_ time. She didn't see the knowing looks Jack and Cymbelia gave her.

That night, she walked down to the designated classroom to find 15 boys, 1st-4th years, waiting for Potions help. She started to grow suspicious when more then half of the boys didn't even need any help.

Irritated and tired she kicked them all out at 8 o'clock and collapsed onto a chair, gingerly laying her head on the desk and let out a groan. Not two seconds later she heard laughter from the doorway and opening one eye, she groaned again.

"Who's got a fan club now, hm?"

"Go _away_, Cedric."

"All these little boys love the big, strong Quidditch player who has the respect of the big, old, scary Potions maser and all they want is to stare at you and drool over you as they trick you into teaching them."

"They just want Snape to see they are taking an interest in Potions," she said, her head still on the desk.

"Sure," Cedric said, rolling his eyes. He lifted up her arm roughly, "Come on, let's go. Want to make a general announcement that you're done tutoring?"

Adelaide sighed and allowed Cedric to drag her out of the classroom, "No, what if they do really need help?"

"Then they should get a tutor appointed by Snape."

Adelaide's face lit up, "Ceddie, you're brilliant! Snape has asked if I could be a tutor before, but – come on!"

"Addie, no wait I didn't mean – I don't want to," he sighed as she pulled him down to the dungeons, "fine."

Snape cocked an eyebrow when Adelaide and Cedric strolled through the open door of the Potions classroom, "May I _help_ you?"

"Yes, Professor, are you still looking for tutors?"

Snape sat back in his chair looking thoroughly amused, "Ah, so I see there is a rumor that I saved my best student." His eyebrows rose when she saw Adelaide discreetly elbow Cedric. "Something you wanted to say, Mr. Diggory?"

"Just that poor Adelaide here has been bombarded by younger boys – students," he corrected quickly, "for her Potions knowledge, who don't really need it."

"I see," he said turning back to Adelaide.

"And if I'm a tutor, they can't really bother me unless you assign them to me, right? That way I won't feel bad."

Snape leaned his arms back on his desk trying (and succeeding) to hide his amusement. "Very well, I'll begin assigning you some hopeless cases but you'll have to tell your _followers_ to leave you alone _yourself_."

Adelaide grinned and thanked him, following a grateful Cedric out the door. He continued to tease her as they walked out of the dungeons until Adelaide reminded him of the incident only the day before when a first year Ravenclaw had stood frozen in shock when Cedric had apologized for bumping into her.

Cedric stuck his tongue out at her when they got to the hall for the Den, "Well, since you're pretty and you're friends with a lot of guys and you're good at Quidditch, your fan club is only going to get bigger."

Adelaide laughed as Cedric walked away, "Did you say I was pretty, Ceddie?"

"Oh, you know you lot have interesting eyes, Hayworth," he called back over his shoulder.

And laughing to herself, Adelaide continued to the Tower, thinking nothing of what Cedric had said.

--

After Neil had sufficiently laughed at and teased Adelaide for her failed tutoring session that night and promised to kick any of the younger boys off the pitch if they showed up at practice, they poured over the newest edition of _Quidditch Weekly_. Laughing at something they looked up from where they were lying on the floor to see Jack and Cymbelia walk in to the common room, sit next to each other on the couch and spoke quietly. Adelaide turned towards her brother and covered his mouth before he could laugh or whistle and motioned for him to keep still. They watched Cymbelia smile smally and Jack blush as she handed him a quill. Camellia said something that neither of them could hear before she stood up and walked towards the girls' dormitories. Jack was smiling to himself but before Neil could jump up and scare him, Jack made his way to the boys' stairs.

Neil let out a loud laugh, "Merlin's beard, they just need to snog or something already. This is getting ridiculous!"

Adelaide rolled her eyes at Neil but she couldn't help but agree with him. Ever since she had been in the Hospital Wing, Jack and Cymbelia always seemed to be around each other, stealing glances, blushing, all the things that thankfully Norah had never done. "Someone should say something. Maybe the twins?"

Neil grinned, "If they do something like that again in front of me, I will," and he said it in such a "Neil" way that Adelaide knew he was making a promise to himself. He got up and threw himself down on the couch Jack and Cymbelia had just vacated. "First Norah, now Cymbelia, I think it's time we find _you_ a guy."

She sat down on his legs causing him to let out a playful groan. "No, no, nope. I think I'm done with boys for a while since that seemed to be pretty disastrous." He made to argue but she continued, "What about you? Let's find you a girlfriend, shall we?"

She watched as Neil's face grew somber and contemplative as he said shortly, "No, I'm to busy." She didn't say anything but she knew there was something he wasn't telling her.

--

There were only a few days before the holidays when Professor Snape kept her after to tell her she would have at least three students to tutor the next term, although one wasn't as "hopeless" as the others. Adelaide was extremely pleased and when a young boy held out a scroll to her and begged for help, she did not feel terrible for refusing. Her high spirits did not last long, however.

Neil was anxious all through dinner although no one but Adelaide seemed to notice. Jack and Cymbelia were stealing looks at each other again and Adelaide wanted nothing more than to bash her brother over the head with her goblet. She had barely conjured this fantasy in her head when Neil threw his fork down and said irritably, "Will you two just _snog_ already and get on with it?"

The entire end of their table became silent as Neil took an angry swig of his pumpkin juice, Jack stared at his brother in horror and Cymbelia, her face nearly as read as the Weasley's hair, nearly ran out of the Great Hall. Adelaide looked between her two brothers and pushed Jack, "_Go follow here_," she hissed. Nodding his head he nearly fell off the bench in his haste to catch up to Cymbelia.

Adelaide turned back to Neil, her voice low, "What the _bloody hell_ was that? Are you _mental_?"

Neil shrugged, still obviously aggravated, "It'll work."

Adelaide was beyond confused. "Neil, what's wrong?" Her voice was softer now and Neil glanced up from his plate briefly.

"Nothing."

Adelaide sighed, "Neil, come on, tell me," she nearly pleaded.

He looked at her with such sadness that Adelaide wanted to reach across the table and hug him until he couldn't breathe. "I don't know," he said sincerely.

She opened her mouth to try and say something sympathetic but Cook and Stephen interrupted them, "Was that Jack and Cymbelia snogging in the corridor?"

--

Adelaide only had a few days where she had to tolerate the altered lovey-dovey and awkward behavior of the 'new couple' and the slightly strained relationship between her brothers: for even though everything turned out well in the end, Jack and Cymbelia were still slightly embarrassed by Neil's behavior. She was thankful, therefore to have Neil, Alec, Cedric and occasionally Oliver and the twins to commiserate and taunt with. The twins would make gagging and sucking noises and sing rhymes to tease the couple that was so shy that Adelaide was convinced they would be permanently pink. Cedric was more confused then anything although he made no mention of this to Adelaide. Instead, he asked Neil one day why anyone would want to bother with a relationship because they always seemed like more work and no one ever seemed to be happy all the time after a few months. "Sure," he said, "snogging must be great, but I'd rather be _friends_ with girls. Like Adelaide." Neil, for his part, had nodded and agreed with Cedric although he did not express his own views or feelings. Oliver tended to be relatively quiet except to lament "a great Seeker" which Neil had taken great offense to.

Cymbelia and Norah did their best not to exclude Adelaide, not to let their lives revolve around their relationships, but Adelaide found herself hanging out more and more with "her boys".

--

Adelaide had dragged Fred to the library two nights before the end of term after he told her he "didn't care" about the poor marks he had gotten on his last Potions essay. He complained the whole way but she ignored him and made him pay attention for thirty minutes as she explained what he had done wrong and what he had done surprising well. It was only 8 o'clock when she let a relieved and yet strangely grateful to Adelaide, Fred left the library. So she settled down to read from her hefty Arthimancy tome. She had lost track of time and nearly jumped clear out of her seat when Madame Pince hissed at her to leave. She threw her robe in her bag, having taking it off as she read in the hot library and walked out, reveling in the cool air of the corridor.

She shifted her bag on her shoulder, not noticing that her blouse, free from her necktie and sweater, was freed from one of its buttons. Had she known that she was slowly approaching "Mia-territory" she would have frantically buttoned up and fixed her tie, but she didn't realize until it was too late.

A tall, dark figure emerged from the shadows and Adelaide's hand tightened around the wand she always carried at the ready when she walked the corridors alone. As she drew closer, a torch illuminated Callum's angry, hungry face, his eyes travelled down her body slowly and she shivered, feeling dirty and violated. As they travelled back up her body, they stopped at her chest and Callum's eyes widened slightly his mouth curling upwards in a sickening smile and Adelaide wondered how she could have ever thought he was attractive. "Someone's finally remembered they're a girl," he growled cheekily.

"Callum," she said through clenched teeth, refusing to show him he had gotten to her and left her shirt open. She didn't look down but knew only a button could have come undone and she was no more indecent then ever.

"Its about time," he continued walking towards her again, "your boyfriends get tired of seeing you in your brothers' old clothes? In your prissy uniform?" He let out another low growl.

"Do you want to get expelled?" She hissed, her wand arm itching to hex him.

"I'm not coming back next term," he smiled again and Adelaide felt sick, "and I couldn't leave without one kiss, one tit, _one_ shag –"

He was a foot away from her, his hand reaching out to grab her chest, his head leaning towards her when he suddenly went flying back down the hall, landing on his back, moaning in pain.

Adelaide, breathing heavily, walked towards him, her wand raised, her pale grey eyes wild, nearly void of any discernable color. "You _bloody_ perv," she screamed, not caring who or what heard her. "You bloody perv," she waved her wan and his arms locked together painfully. "How many bloody girls have you treated like this? Or am I the only one lucky enough?" She raised her wand again, but a familiar voice stopped her.

"That will be enough, Ms. Hayworth. You have already rendered him helpless."

Adelaide turned around in a fury, her hour falling out of the elastic, her eyes still wild and furious, her face white and disgusted and her necktie thankfully covering her undone button. "But –"

Snape raised his eyebrow, "I heard enough, Ms. Hayworth. If you would be so kind as to wait for me in my office, I will escort Mr. Westcott to the Headmaster."

Adelaide's shoulders dropped, her wand hand falling to her side, the hatred in her eyes replaced by tiredness. "Sir, could I just, go to bed?"

Snape watched her for a moment and nodded. "Headmaster or I will speak with you tomorrow."

Adelaide sighed and without glancing at Callum who was still lying on the floor, she walked back to the tower, wishing once and for all the situation was over.

--

Adelaide woke up after a rough's night sleep and trudged tiredly down to breakfast hoping no one would notice Callum's absence until later. Or preferably, never.

Cedric _did_ notice, but had the decency not to say anything until they were alone. He approached her on the way out and had just gotten out, "What happened last night?" When Snape walked up behind them.

"Ms. Hayworth, Mr. Diggory," he gave Adelaide a look but she stared back and nodded. Snape glowered briefly at Cedric but continued, "The _situation_ has been taken care of but you may speak with Professor Dumbledore or myself if you so wish."

Adelaide smiled smally, "Thank you, Professor. I'll be fine."

He nodded curtly and stalked off towards his classroom, his robes billowing behind him. Slowly, she turned back to Cedric and enveloped him in a tired hug mumbling, "I'm fine, I'm _fine_, he's gone he was just a _perv_."

And all Cedric could do was nod and hug her back until she could tell him the whole story.

--

Adelaide dreaded having to tell her friends why Callum had been expelled two days before end of term. She made Cedric promise not to divulge the whole story, "What good will it do to get Neil and the twins angry that I had _one_ button undone on my blouse?" Adelaide hadn't noticed his flushed face when he ultimately agreed.

Everyone was glad Callum was finally gone, except for the twins who had looked forward to pranking him next term. And Adelaide was relieved that no one gave her a hard time those last two days of term: Jack and Cymbelia were nearly always together and Norah was spending most of her time with Ewan. Oliver didn't press her on the matter but she had to avert her eyes from his when she told him the story, feeling as though he could _sense_ she wasn't telling the entire truth.

Neil and Adelaide were sitting in the common room the last night before the train playing a game of Exploding Snap when Neil, noticing her melancholy and lack of focus, cajoled her into telling him what was wrong. Sighing, she hurriedly told him about the 'blouse-incident'. He merely scoffed, "Addie, come on, that's barely even a little indecent! I mean, it's not wrong and you can wear girlier or tighter clothes if you want!"

Adelaide's eyebrow rose so high and so quickly that Neil let out a laugh, "You're not mad?"

"At you, no. Callum was a typical, 16 year-old perv, that's all. And a royal prat."

Adelaide continued to stare at him, utterly confused. He looked back up at her face and cocked his head to the side, "What else is wrong?"

Adelaide shook her head, "No, no, you've got to tell me what's been bothering _you_, Neil. You've been loony forever."

Neil ran his hand over his face tiredly, "Not _here_," he said quietly through his fingers.

Now Adelaide was worried, having rarely seen her usually energetic and carefree brother like this. She took his hand and making sure no one was watching, tugged him up the stairs to her dormitory. No one was there, but she forced Neil to sit on her bed and tugged her curtains closed, putting up a silencing spell. She sat there quietly, waiting for her brother to speak. After what felt like an eternity she said timidly, "Neil, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

He took a ragged breath looked up at her, his stormy grey eyes piercing her lighter ones, "I – I fancy boys."

There was a pause as Neil held his breath waiting for a hailstorm of hate or disgust or something. He watched, his eyes searching her unchanging ones.

"And?"

He blanched, "Well, well that's it, isn't it? I fancy boys. Aren't you mad or disgusted or something?"

She looked at him for a second before a laugh burst out of her mouth and she fell back onto her bed, laughing hysterically.

"Addie?" Neil asked worriedly, "Adelaide? What in Merlin's beard, Addie!" He smacked her leg and she sat back up, trying to calm back down.

"Neil, why would I be angry or disgusted? So _what_ if you fancy boys? So do I."

"But, you're a girl!"

She shrugged, "So," she smiled, "Neil, I don't care. You're my _brother_ aren't you?" She paused, "Is this why you've been acting so weird?"

Neil grimaced, "Yea, I was confused and mad that Jack was going to have a girlfriend and be able to kiss her in public and stuff and I don't know." He paused and looked at her warily, "And you don't care?"

She shook her head, "Not in the least, Neil. Are you going to tell Jack?" He looked away from her. "Neil, you're going to _have_ to you know."

"I will, I will. But when I'm ready –"

"He's not going to care either you know. He'll be all logical and rational about it."

He smiled, "You're probably right. But you can't tell anyone, okay? Not Cedric, not Percy, not Cymbelia, not Charlie –" he watched as her face fell slightly. "All, right, enough about _me_, what's your problem?"

She tried to change the subject, "Don't you want to know if I suspected you were gay?" Neil shook his head gravely and groaning, Adelaide leaned her arm out of the curtains to grab the letter she had just accio-ed.

Neil furrowed his eyebrows and frowned when he finished reading the letter, "That is weird," he said, "and you haven't written since?"

She shook her head, "I was so angry and confused and how could I tell him about this last time? But if I don't someone else might!"

Neil thought for a moment, "You don't think he fancies you, do you?"

She scoffed, "What?"

Neil nodded, "No, you're right, that _would_ be odd, but I mean, you two always got on best and I've never seen him _this_ angry before! He's Charlie!"

Adelaide bit her lip, "He was probably just worried," she frowned, feeling terribly guilty, "maybe I should write back."

Neil nodded and laid back as Adelaide laid on her stomach to write. She smiled evilly at him, "Want advice from Charlie about fancying boys? How to tell everyone? I mean, since he's too far away to tell anyone –"

Neil shot up and grabbed her quill, "No!"

She rolled over, laughing again. She was going to get a lot of fun of being the only one who knew Neil's secret.

--

A/N: OMG THIS WAS SO LONG! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!!


	8. Fifth Year: Second Term

A/N: Thank you so so so much for all the reviews! Since I don't get that many, I try to reply to the ones I do get that are signed, so thank you all again!!

This chapter is WAY shorter and a lot less exciting, but I have some good ideas for the summer before 6th year, some for 6th year, definitely for the World Cup and for 7th year. And don't worry. Post 7th year too. But since school is fast approaching………not sure how all these "ideas" will pan out. But I'll keep ya'll posted!!

Enjoy!!

--

_**Fifth Year – Second Term**_

The Hayworths were not poor, nor were they fabulously wealthy, and so from the very beginning, Sara and Raymond had taught their children to be savvy and frugal and not to want too many 'silly things'. Even so, when they had heard that Adelaide 's broom broke they wanted to help her without giving her a broom, not wanting to run the risk of getting Neil or Jack jealous. Sara had planned on taking her only daughter on a short shopping trip for some clothes that actually fit, but decided that this could perhaps wait.

So Raymond and Sara were surprised when the triplet's first night back Adelaide knocked on their bedroom door, her blanket over her shoulders, her hair messed from a restless attempt at sleep and her bare feet fidgeting. "Mum? Dad?"

"Yes, Addie."

"I, I need a broom," she said slowly, but soon said quickly, "and I have nearly enough money to buy one and the whole team is counting on me since the school brooms aren't any good and –" she paused and Sara frowned. "And I don't want to seem selfish," she paused again and looked at her feet, "I really wanted some new clothes for the winter and summer. I can still wear Jack and Neil's but I just thought, you know, maybe just a few things?"

Sara looked at her husband, trying to convey all her thoughts in one look. Raymond nodded, " Adelaide , you're perfectly right, it's time you got some clothes that fit you properly and not have to be subjected to wearing your brother's hand-me-downs forever." She looked up at her parents, beaming, but Raymond continued, "And, well, my old broom still works –"

Adelaide's face fell, "But Dad! You love that broom!"

He chuckled, "But I love you more, Addie. Besides, I rarely use it and it wasn't your fault yours broke," he waved her over, "come, give your old man a hug, child," he said teasingly.

Adelaide laughed and gave her parent hugs before skipping out of the room. "Best Christmas ever."

--

Adelaide returned to school with a few new clothes, a new broom and a guilt-free conscience, even though she had yet to hear back from Charlie. Jack had been confused by Adelaide 's day of shopping with their mother and even more confused when Sara promised to buy some new summer clothes at the end of term, but decided not to voice his confusion. Things were not as tense between the brothers now even though neither had made any mention of the snogging incident. Adelaide tried to stay out of it, hoping that Neil would tell Jack his "secret" soon: she hated that they were keeping something like this from Jack.

Cedric had made mention of Adelaide 's new wardrobe almost as soon as she took off her jacket on the train. But Cedric wasn't the only one who noticed Adelaide's better-fitting (but still plain and reserved) clothes: the boys who had followed her around last term were now following her down the train and sneaking looks through the window of her compartment. No one else in the compartment noticed this but Neil and Oliver and both decided to let it alone, knowing it would only lead to teasing and awkwardness.

The twins asked about her clothes but Adelaide had just shrugged and said it was her Christmas gift from her mother. But Cedric saw through this slight lie and voiced his concern out loud in front of their friends, " Adelaide, why did you buy those clothes?"

Adelaide's head snapped up to look at him, "Am I not allowed to have a few new clothes, Cedric?"

"Well, you never have before and I just thought that since –"

Adelaide did not like where this accusation was going, "I have never been a 15 year old girl before Cedric, and so what if I want a few girls' clothes. I _am_ a girl, in case you've forgotten."

Cedric made to speak again but Adelaide was too furious to sit and listen to his nonsense any longer and mumbling, "Toilet," stormed out the door, startling a group of second years who were huddled next to it.

She was thankful that the corridor was nearly empty and slid down one of the walls, sitting outside a dark compartment. She stared at the opposite wall, willing herself to calm down and reminding herself she wanted new jeans for herself.

She didn't hear him come after her but she didn't have to look over to know it was him who sat down next to her; the goose bumps running down her arm and leg were all the proof she needed.

"I didn't do it because of him," she said, her voice quiet and hard. She didn't turn to look at him but he watched her face as she continued, "What's wrong with getting a new pair of jeans and a few shirts so I don't always have to wear Neil's or Jack's? It's not like I'm going to start dressing like Mia," she grimaced. "_He_ thinks I'm doing it because of what Callum had said to me, you know. He thinks I _care_ that boys don't think I'm pretty like Cymbelia or Norah or that girl below me, Cho. I know he's noticed her and a few other pretty girls, because they're _always_ trying to talk to him, although they don't follow him around," she shook her head. "I don't care that boys don't think I'm pretty or what did the twins say that Margo girl was? Sexy?" She laughed, still staring at the wall. "I _don't_ care," she said again firmly and looked up at Oliver with a face that told him all she wanted was reassurance. "There's nothing wrong with buying new clothes, is there?"

Oliver smiled, "People buy new clothes all the time, lass."

Adelaide smiled warmly, "You're right, Wood." She laughed, "You're always right, you know."

Oliver smiled, staring into her eyes, knowing she wasn't telling him everything and wishing she would. He wanted nothing more then to tell her just how pretty she was; wanting to _show_ her how pretty she was. But he couldn't, could he? They were friends. Oliver and Adelaide. Adelaide and Oliver. Quidditch rivals. Chaser and Keeper. She was 15. Had just been subjected to the biggest pervy-prat in recent Hogwarts History. And he was Oliver Wood and his only love was Quidditch.

But his will faltered when he looked into Adelaide 's warm, light grey eyes and flicking over her fair skin, her barely-there smattering of freckles, her flushed cheeks and her small, perfect pink lips.

Even though he couldn't admit it, Oliver was smitten.

--

Neil watched as Adelaide and Oliver came back sometime later and decided to discreetly watch the pair the rest of the train ride: not that he minded having to stare at Oliver. He was a very attractive man, more rugged and burly then the other boys he knew. With his dark hair and dark eyes, his Keeper muscles and his low Scottish burr. Neil chided himself, wanting to focus on Adelaide and Oliver, not on Oliver's dark, mysterious, yet passionate and adorable eyes. Neil was certain Adelaide thought Oliver was at the very least a good-looking guy and from the way Oliver had always stood up and watched out for her, he was sure Oliver felt the same way. And Neil couldn't help but feel disappointed: who wouldn't want Oliver Wood to like them?

Neil looked around the compartment at his friends: now that he had told Adelaide and thereby admitted it to himself, he felt more comfortable with his sexuality. He didn't feel dirty for thinking that Oliver was very sexy nor for wishing that Oliver fancied boys. His eyes glanced over at Cedric: yes, Cedric was attractive too, just as the twins and Charlie were, but he squirmed slightly. He didn't think of them as true brothers, like Jack, but hadn't he known them too long to think them attractive? He watched Cedric smile at something Fred had said and Neil knew then that he could admire and acknowledge their attractiveness, but he would never pine for them.

He smiled to himself. Unless they fancied boys too. Then he didn't care who it was: Charlie, Cedric, Fred, George, even Bill or Ron. And of course, Oliver. Neil would love for any of them to be gay.

--

Cedric didn't mention Adelaide 's new wardrobe again, but he was still concerned that Callum's words had affected her.

Neil began to watch Adelaide 's interactions with all boys more closely once they had gotten back to the castle. How had he not noticed all of the guys across the hall who would glance at her? And it wasn't because of her clothes since she was currently wearing her uniform and robes; yet he saw that Milton and a few other older boys eyeing her. He tried not to laugh when he looked at his sister, her face buried in her Ancient Runes, her eyes darting across the pages, biting her lower lip in concentration, stray hair falling in front of her face.

Neil smiled to himself and taking a bite of his roll, looked out across the heads of his fellow students and saw Oliver; head bent over what he could only assume was a Quidditch playbook. Shaking his head he saw the twins whispering to each other across the table. And Cedric was joking around with his friends, a gaggle of Hufflepuff girls trying to edge their way into the conversation.

And he wondered if any of them knew how 'sought after' they were by the other students, if they all really were that daft, if they all really didn't want girlfriends or boyfriends.

And then he wondered how he'd ever find another gay at Hogwarts if he didn't open up to anyone else but his sister. And he knew it was time he told his brother.

--

Neil managed to corral his siblings after the first practice of the term, telling Jack that Cymbelia could surely spare him for a few minutes. Blushing, Jack sat down on a bench next to his sister, worried as Neil paced in front of them before suddenly blurting out, "I fancy boys."

Jack was neither shocked nor disgusted; he was just upset that Neil had told Adelaide so long ago and was afraid to tell him. He got over this quickly and once the three had hugged, Neil relieved that he told his brother and Adelaide pleased that there were no more secrets, they walked to the kitchens laughing the whole way.

"So I guess you'll want us to help you find a boyfriend now, huh?"

Neil shrugged, "I wouldn't mind any help, no."

Jack thought for a moment before saying seriously, "But you haven't snogged anyone yet, have you?" When Neil shook his head, Jack continued, "Well, since you don't want anyone to know, although I don't see why it matters, maybe you should kiss a girl?"

Adelaide scoffed, "I think he should just stand up in the Great Hall, proclaim that he wants a boyfriend and see if there are any takers."

Neil and Jack laughed into their hot cocoa, "Not a bad idea! But Addie. Do you expect me to be that theatrical with the whole thing?"  Jack pretended to think for a moment, "No, I think you'd need to be more dramatic. Maybe once you've saved a practically difficult shot?"

Neil laughed again, "Well, keep on the lookout, yet? And if my fanclubs get out of control, I'll kiss one and announce that said girl has turned me gay."

"Then there will be no doubt," Adelaide rolled her eyes.

Jack shook his head, "Hoards of girls will be so depressed. I'm taken, you're gay, Cedric and Oliver are oblivious." He sighed, "Poor fan-clubs."

--

Adelaide was glad to see Neil was back to his usual self now that Jack was in the loop and she thought it hilarious when Neil would whisper to her, "_He's_ handsome," or "Why doesn't _he_ play Quidditch?" She would hide her laugh and shake her head at his 'hopelessness' or would reply, "He's all right to look at." At this answer Neil would throw up his hands at her and list in hushed, hurried tones, all the reasons why said boy was "more than all right to look at".

Due to this, Adelaide became suddenly _more_ aware and had a greater appreciation for the males at Hogwarts. She didn't like them, but she could agree that yes, they were lovely, etc.

Adelaide began tutoring her first student the second week of school a chubby, nervous 2nd year Gryffindor whom Adelaide had sometimes seen with Ron, and his friends. Neville had walked into the dungeons, his eyes darting nervously around the room and Adelaide smiled at the boy, motioning for him to sit at the table with her, "Don't worry, Professor Snape won't be surprising us with an unannounced visit." Neville gave her a scared look but her smile only broadened, "He trusts my tutoring skills and I promise he'll never disturb us." She asked for his potions essays and asked what he found difficult about Potions. His only response was a blush.

She soon discovered what his problem was: nerves. He understood what he had to do, understood the instructions and steps, he just could not carry them out. At the end of their session, Adelaide smiled and told him that perhaps he should practice breathing beforehand. Glumly, he left the dungeon and Adelaide, shouldering her bag, began to think of how she could Neville to relax.

She was supposed to tutor the next night, but Snape informed her that the boy, not caring about his marks, had opted out, giving Adelaide no reason to skip Neville's impromptu football session.

Adelaide did not know who her last tutee was to be until Thursday afternoon after her Double Potions. Shocked, Adelaide stormed down to the Great Hall to see that the Gryffindor team was not there and so she high-tailed it down to the pitch after grabbing her winter jacket, hat and scarf. She stood at the edge of the pitch but seeing that they were in the middle of practice, she 'huffed' and climbed up one of the stands. When she made to sit down, however, she was greeted with several glares. She made to smile at the bundled-up girls, trying to hide her confusion. Who were they? None of them she recognized as rival Quidditch players who might want to spy. And why were they voluntarily sitting out in the cold to watch a Quidditch practice?

The girls continued to stare, slightly unnerving Adelaide until there was a burly yell of, "Bell, what kind of shot was that?" that was unmistakably Oliver. Five heads snapped towards the pitch, ignoring Adelaide for the moment.

Adelaide turned pink when the words, "Don't "fancy" "Adelaide Hayworth" and "be practical" floated over to the spectators on the wind. Adelaide wanted to sink into the stands to hide her face when the girls turned back to her. But she sat perfectly straight and reaching for her bag, pulled out a book, hoping the girls would leave her alone.

They did not. "Who are you here for?" Adelaide looked up but could not tell which girl had poised the question as they were all still staring at her.

"Pardon?"

The girl with her hat pulled to her eyes repeated the question, this time with an annoyed air.

Adelaide was still confused, "I'm sorry, I'm not here for anyone I –"

An older girl interrupted, "We," she motioned at two girls, "are al trying to get Wood to notice us –"

"He's spoken to me already, Patricia."

Patricia snapped at the other girl, "Because he knocked you over in the hall," she turned back to Adelaide, "and these two have crushes on the twins."

"Who are you trying to get to notice you?" One of the twin-lovers piped up.

Adelaide opened her mouth, "Uh –"

"You idiot, that's Adelaide Hayworth!"

The girls' eyes widened, "I didn't recognize you! You've never been to a practice before. Are you dating one of the twins?" The little girl's voice got hard with the last question and Adelaide was shocked into perplexed silence.

"I'm not –"

"Are you dating Wood?" Patricia snapped.

"What? No, I – just friends," she picked up her bag and tried not to cower away, "I'll wait down there – bye!"

She ran down from the stands, pulling her hat farther down her head in embarrassment and confusion. Those girls were frightening. She saw the Gryffindors descending but heard the girls racing down from the stands and not wanting another confrontation, she ran behind the locker room, hoping that the girls wouldn't wait for the team to leave.

Thankfully, they didn't and relieved, Adelaide waited for the team to emerge before rounding on Oliver and the twins. "I was nearly murdered by those terrifying girls! Are they always here? They thought I was competing with them! I thought I was dead when they accused me of dating you lot!" She punched Fred's arm.

"Oi! What was _that_ for? They like Oliver and George too!"

"Yea, but I was here for _you_!"

George let out a snicker and Oliver's jaw dropped. "Oh, please," she crossed her arms, "Fred here is my newest Potions tutee."

Fred winced, "Yea, that explains it."

"We're starting now, Weasley, I can't believe you didn't ask for my help sooner." She rounded on George and Oliver, "and you two need to either date someone to get those girls off your backs or tell them forcefully to leave you alone, but they are dreadful and scary and I'm still nervous for my life." She grabbed Fred's arm and pulled him towards the castle, ignoring George's laughter and Oliver's total confusion.

--

The next day at breakfast, Oliver made a point of going over and apologizing to Adelaide, admitting that he didn't know the girls were at all of the practices nor that they were trying to talk with him. She rolled her eyes and laughed, telling him he was extremely oblivious but he better somehow take care of them. He shrugged at Neil and frowning slightly, walked back to his own table. Adelaide shook her head and turned back to her breakfast, but Neil used this opportunity to his advantage.

"Oliver's handsome," he said tentatively, not in fear of being overheard since they were somewhat isolated, but to gauge her reaction. "Nice Keeper's build: lovely, expression-filled eyes, easy smile, terribly attractive accent, great body – those muscles! Nice, firm man's hands –"

Adelaide looked up, an eyebrow cocked unaware that her face was slightly pink, "Do I detect a crush?"

Neil shrugged, "I don't get the 'I fancy boys' vibe," he watched her again, "and you're the only girl not on his team he talks to regularly."

Adelaide shrugged, "Not much of a social butterfly. Maybe he _does_ like boys," she swallowed her eggs, "or maybe he only cares about Quidditch, like he says."

Neil nodded, not wanting to push her, but truly believing Oliver unknowingly fancied her. "Maybe," he paused, "maybe he's just nervous."

Adelaide scoffed, "Wood may be thick, but if there's _one_ thing he's not, it's nervous." She looked at her brother sharply, "If you're insinuating what I _think_ you're insinuating, stop. If you want to know if he fancies boys, just ask me and I can try to find out."

Neil nearly chocked on his pumpkin juice, "What? I mean, _how_ would you do that? Snog him?"

"No! I'll just ask, won't I? Tactfully, of course. Discreetly."

--

It wasn't until Saturday afternoon that Adelaide got to ask Oliver about his sexual orientation. Discreetly, of course.

She went to the Gryffindor table to discuss with Fred when they could meet again for Potions when Adelaide neatly asked Oliver if he and the twins had taken care of their "problems".

They all looked at each other guiltily but George said, "Well, we've only got the two girls and they're younger, so not as likely to cause you physical harm…"

Adelaide turned to Oliver and he swallowed, "Well, how can I get them to leave alone?"

Adelaide shrugged and said nonchalantly, her eyes never leaving his face, "You could tell them you fancy boys."

Oliver looked skeptical, "You think some blokes will follow me around then?"

Adelaide continued to watch him, "Maybe not openly, but yea, maybe some blokes will try to woo you."

Oliver shook his head vigorously, "That would be right awkward. I don't want to lie, lass."

"Wouldn't want anyone to embarrass themselves, eh Wood?" George grinned.

Adelaide rolled her eyes, "Right, because those _girls_ aren't embarrassing themselves?"

Fred grinned, "Can't you pretend to be our girlfriend like you did with Cedric?"

Adelaide glared at him, "All three of you? Merlin's beard, do I really need someone else to call me a whore, Fred?"

"I didn't mean –" Fred sputtered, his eyes wide in realization as to what he had insinuated and Oliver winced at the coarse word Adelaide had spat out.

"I know, you weren't thinking. I figured. But Fred, you're more then welcome to tell people you have an unrequited crush on me." Fred tried not to grumble, grateful that Adelaide wasn't still furious with him. George smiled at his brother. "George, you can too."

"No, no, that's all right. Wouldn't want the ladies to get confused when you eventually discover you're madly in love with me –"

Adelaide ignored him, "And Oliver, I'd tell you you could, but I'm afraid of your three followers and unless you promise to protect me continuously from their icy glares…"

Oliver grimaced, "I'll figure something out," he replied.

Adelaide finalized a time with Fred and then went back to her table to relay her findings to Neil who feigned utter disappointment hoping to not alarm Adelaide of his original, _real_ intentions.

--

The next few weeks were relatively uneventful except for the bizarre incident with Mrs. Norris: Adelaide continued tutoring Fred and Neville, studying and preparing for her O.W.L.s and Quidditch. Gryffindor beat Slytherin by such a large amount that the only two teams who stood any chance for the Cup were Gryffindor and Ravenclaw; the final match would be at the end of April. During those few weeks Adelaide also got a _normal_ letter from Charlie that made no mention of Callum, Charlie's previous reactions or anger. And so Adelaide relented, willing to ignore the situation in order to maintain their easy friendship and current correspondence, although there was always something nagging at the back of her mind.

Fred and Adelaide were leaving the dungeons one night after a rather short session when they ran into a pale, scared and shaking Ginny. Adelaide was immediately concerned for the girl, but she only clung a book to her chest and muttered, "Percy" as she pointed to a closed classroom door and scurried off. Fred shook his head at his sister's peculiar antics and grinning, slowly opened the door. They had barely registered what they were seeing when letting out an 'eep!' Adelaide slammed the door shut and yanked Fred down the hall, too scarred to even remember Ginny.

They rounded a corner and stood, breathing heavily, staring wildly at each other, "Was that?"

"My eyes!" Fred moaned and clutched at his face.

"Percy."

"Merlin's beard!"

"And Penelope."

Fred's head snapped up, "Who??"

Adelaide swallowed, "Penelope Clearwater, 6th year Ravenclaw prefect."

Fred was shocked, "Two prefects, one of them _Percival_, _snogging_ in a classroom," he shuddered before grinning evilly. "We are going to have to a _field day_ with this, Hayworth."

Adelaide tried to frown and chide Fred but this discovery of theirs was just too good.

--

The following day, however, Percy's rule-breaking snog was not the main topic of conversation: it was overshadowed by the petrifaction of a student, Colin Creevey. When the students looked to the Headmaster for an explanation, they were startled to find him absent and felt little comfort from McGonagall's assurance that there was nothing to fear.

Jack frowned and discreetly pulled his girlfriend closer to him, "I thought the Chamber of Secrets thing was some sort of joke –"

Adelaide's temper flared slightly, "What, that the twins would do?"

Jack frowned again, "Merlin's beard, Adelaide, I don't think they're malicious nor that they would use blood."

Adelaide crossed her arms and ignored her brother, turning towards Neil, "Where's Alec?"

"Stil trying with that 4th year, Cho."

Adelaide rolled her eyes, glad to be off the topic of the Chamber and on to something safe, "Glad he's unfazed by all this, probably use it to his advantage, walk with her everywhere."

Neil frowned, "Maybe, but come on, I don't think she has much interest in him anyway…and the Chamber's probably no big deal anyway."

No one was convinced; soon it _was_ a big deal and Adelaide like everyone else became even more worried when Justin Finch-Fletchy and the Gryffindor ghost were petrified next. Neil attempted to get everyone to focus on Quidditch for their upcoming match, but it was difficult. They were more worried that no one seemed to have any answers as to what was going on.

Oliver was having difficulty with his team too: Harry was usually focused during practices but he would sometimes have a "momentary lapse" and Oliver could barely get him alone to "talk strategy" during the day. He had grumbled this to Adelaide and Cedric one day during lunch. Cedric glanced down the table, "Potter, Ron and that Granger seem to be pretty preoccupied with something."

Adelaide nodded, "Well, they helped with that stone last year, didn't they?"

George laughed, "Who knew Ron's Wizarding Chess skills would come in handy?"

Cedric frowned, "You think they know about the Chamber?" He scoffed, "I mean, they aren't trying to figure it out, are they?"

Fred and George laughed slightly as Oliver continued to look glum and Adelaide's gaze continued past the three to Ginny was sat alone, scribbling furiously. She frowned, remembering Ginny's odd behavior only a few weeks earlier but she saw several students getting up to leave and with an exasperated groan she jumped up, grabbed her bag and raced down the hall with a hasty wave.

"She's lost it," Fred shook his head.

Cedric shrugged, "O.W.L.s," he said in way of explanation.

--

The final match was painless: at least physically. Oliver was disappointed over the loss and the twins joked that he was bound to drown himself in the shower, or cut Jack's fingers off so he couldn't play Seeker again. But Adelaide was far too concerned for her upcoming examinations to pay any attention. She postponed tutoring until they were done and went about studying, reading and practicing, rarely venturing out into the sunlight and rarely talking to anyone unless she had to.

All of the 5th years were nervous and the Ravenclaws were known for their obsessive behavior when it came to their "magical education", but Adelaide seemed to be the most extreme of her year-mates. Cedric wondered if Adelaide wasn't determined to prove to everyone that she was _just_ as good as her prefect and Quidditch captain brothers, but fearing his life, never voiced this theory to anyone. Adelaide had attempted to study with her brothers, Cedric, Cook, Ewan, Alec, Stephen, Cymbelia and Norah, but after only a few hours she stormed off, ranting about "one too many lovey-dovey glances" and "not taking this seriously". After that, she would hide in the farthest corner of the library or in one of the deserted classrooms so as not to be disturbed. Cedric and Neil would occasionally find her and swearing to only ask relevant questions, would study with her late into the night.

Two days before the exams, while everyone was growing frantic, Adelaide was silent and eerily calm. Though she spoke to nearly no one, she did not glare or snap at anyone and ate her meals slowly and went to bed earlier then she had previously been.

The first day of exams Hermione and Penelope were petrified. Adelaide comforted Harry, Ron and Percy, talking with them in this new soft and calm manner and when she knew she could be of no more use, went back to studying. Percy was so caught-off guard by her demeanor that he did not question how she knew he would be distressed by Penelope's petrifaction. Jack was concerned with Adelaide's demeanor during the exams, but it was Cedric who said, "She's clearly frantic inside, isn't she? But if she can convince herself that she'll be fine long enough for the exams –"

Neil shook his head, "She just better not go mental _after_ and get all obsessive."

Cedric frowned, "Well, after DADA, _I _might go mental. Bloody Lockhart."

But once the O.W.L.s were finished, Adelaide reverted back to her old self, even agreeing to go outside in the sun to forget the exams _and_ the Chamber of Secrets. And by then, Oliver was no longer depressed about the final match and spent these lazy, warm days with his friends.

And then Ginny Weasley went missing.

--

Adelaide had never felt so guilty then when Jack burst into the common room, told his siblings what he had heard at the prefects meeting. Hadn't she known something was off with Ginny? Hadn't she noticed weeks earlier? Why hadn't she been there for her young friend? But she barely had time to think because then Jack was leading them to McGonagall's office where Percy was sitting silently and the twins were shouting furiously at a handful of professors for Lockhart to go find her.

Adelaide quickly scanned the room, "Where's Ron?"

--

Cedric had ran down to the office not five minutes later, but by then Lockhart was off and McGonagall was kicking the Hayworths out, telling them they'd be informed with news when there was any news and led the remaining Weasley's to the Hospital Wing to wait and try and get some rest. Adelaide managed to hug each of the Weasleys tightly before trudging out of the classroom. Adelaide tried not to breakdown in tears right then, blaming herself for anything that might happen to Ginny. Sensing her anguish, Cedric wrapped her in a tight embrace as Neil and Jack continued down the hall, lost in their own thoughts.

"She'll be all right, Addie, she'll be fine," Cedric said, trying his best to sound soothing and confident despite the twisting of his stomach.

"What if she's not what if something happens to her – or to Ron! It'll all be my fault."

Cedric pushed her shoulders away from him slightly so he could look at her face, "It's not your," he paused, "how could it be _your_ fault?"

She swallowed when her voice began to break, "I saw that she was acting – I don't know, not like the usual Gin-Ginny but I got so caught up in myself I –" her voice faltered again and she shut her eyes, trying to shield her face.

"Adelaide, it's all of our faults. None of us noticed she was acting strangely, none of us -"

"If something happens," she said quietly, her voice low and thick, "I couldn't live with myself – Ron, the twins, Percy, Charlie, Bill, Mr. Weasley, _Mrs._ Weasley! I'd have ruined their lives! The only girl, I –" a tear fell down her cheek and Cedric pulled her to him again, brushing the loose hair away from her face.

He knew nothing he could say could relieve her guilt or her terror until Ginny was back safely. And Ron too, for that matter. "Come on," he said, "let's get you back before Neil and Jack start to worry." Cedric, his arm around her, her head leaning against the crook of his arm, led her slowly up to the Tower. It was far past curfew by the time they reached it. Adelaide looked at him with such pain, guilt and fear that he accepted her plea to stay, saying that McGonagall would surely not punish him. Neil and Jack looked up when the pair walked in, but said nothing. Cymbelia was asleep, her head on Jack's arm and Neil sat on one end of the couch, staring into the fire. Adelaide curled her legs up underneath her next to Neil and rested her head on Cedric's arm. No one said a word.

Hours later, Adelaide was still awake, unable to shut her mind from ghastly images of what might have become of Ginny and thoughts of what silent disappointment Mrs. Weasley could lay on her. Jack had fallen asleep much earlier, his head resting on Cymbelia's; Neil had curled up against the arm of the couch and was snoring quietly. Cedric had fallen asleep, his head leaning against the back of the couch, breathing deeply. She stared at his face for a moment, not really seeing it, rather seeing images of an irate Charlie, something that frightened her the most. She was startled out of her reverie, however, when the door opened and Flitwick waddled in. "She's all right," he said quietly upon seeing Adelaide, "You can go and see her."

"And Ron?"

"He's all right as well," Flitwick nodded and turned to the door.

"Thank you, Professor!" She shook Cedric and Neil awake before standing and poking Jack gingerly so as not to wake Cymbelia. "Come on," she whispered, a smile forming on her lips, "she's all right, we can go and see her!"

--

Ginny was awake when they got to the Hospital Wing, having already slept through her injuries and endured hugs fro her brothers. Adelaide pulled the girl into a tight hug, apologizing over and over again, begging for forgiveness and promising she'd always be there for "her little sister". Ron told them what had happened, informed them that Harry was with the Headmaster now when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley burst through the doors, nearly suffocating Ginny. Adelaide, her brothers and Cedric nodded to the twins and Percy and left the Wing, not wanting to intrude any longer.

The last remaining days of the term went by quickly: Ginny was never out of anyone's sight, Percy was reunited with Penny and was at nearly everyone's mercy. Jack and Cymbelia were inseparable since they would be unable to see each other all summer. Cedric spent more time with Neil and Adelaide, and Neil noticed the decrease in amount of time Cedric spent talking or looking at other girls like he used to. He never expressed his thoughts, but Cedric became more aware of Adelaide and Ginny's whereabouts even though there was no longer a threat within Hogwarts. And Oliver continued his usual routines and practices, not made fully aware of the dire circumstances Ginny had been in, only knowing as much as the rest of the school. And no one had the heart to fill him in.

--

OK, next, summer and 6th year! Still in process of writing, and like I said, school starts soon so I have NO idea when I'll be able to update next……


	9. Sixth Year: Part I

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!! :)

--

_**Sixth Year**_

Mr. Weasley won his family a free vacation that summer and so he packed up his entire family to visit Bill in Egypt. That meant three weeks without any Weasleys at St. Ottery. But Cedric and the Hayworths tried not to despair: there were plenty of things they could do without the Weasleys. And Oliver was going to be staying with Cedric for a few days before the Weasleys got back: Amos knew Mr. Wood through a mutual acquaintance and had agreed to care for Oliver while his parents travelled to Denmark to visit their eldest daughter.

So when the Weasleys left, Charlie having travelled directly from Romania only able to take a week and half off, Cedric, Adelaide, Neil and Jack set about making the best of the rest of their quiet summer. They ran into town, racing each other, purchasing ice creams, admiring the "strange" Muggle things. They walked slowly back through the woods, listening to the different animals. They laid out on the grass, watching the clouds; they played Quidditch; they harassed the Weasley's gnomes. And they managed to convince their parents to let them go into London.

Mrs. Diggory brought them to the Leaky Cauldron, told them they had a few hours and watched them race out the door into Muggle London. They ate off a street cart, laughed at the strange-looking Muggles, window-shopped, bought ice cream, admired the old, strange "historic" buildings before heading back to meet Mrs. Diggory.

The next day Oliver arrived to find four very lazy friends lying about in the grass, laughing about the odd shapes of the clouds. "Look! Snape's hooked nose!"

Adelaide responded with an "Oi" before giving in and laughing. "Look! A car!"

Oliver stood over her, blocking the sun and startled her before she jumped up grinning, "Oliver!" She pulled him into a quick hug, his arms barely around her waist when she pulled away, three tall boys standing behind her, similar grins on their faces.

"Wood," Jack nodded solemnly, the only give away was his twinkling blue-grey eyes.

"Ollie!" Neil shouted in his deeper voice and clapped him on the back, his deep grey eyes laughing, his longer, practically shaggy golden blonde hair whipping around his ears.

"Hayworth, Hayworth," Oliver nodded, "did you two grow two feet in only a few weeks?"

Jack laughed and stood to his full height, "Quiet Jack is the tallest."

"Currently," Neil corrected, winking at Oliver.

Cedric reached his hand easily over Adelaide's shoulder for Oliver to shake, "Mr. Wood," he said teasingly, "did mother tell you to put on your swimming trunks?"

"Aye, she did, Mr. Diggory," he looked at Adelaide, "well, lass, looks like we're the short ones in the gang now."

Adelaide looked at him, a hand on her waist before she stood straight and stared eye-level, her eyes landing in the middle of his neck. "Speak for yourself, Wood. I'm still the shortest."

Oliver laughed and Cedric and Jack rolled their eyes as Neil and Adelaide raced ahead through the woods, their taunts and laughter floating behind them. They told Oliver about their Weasley-less weeks, asked what it was like to Apparate and do magic outside of school and rolled their eyes again when they heard Neil whine, "No fair!"

They found Adelaide standing triumphantly on the edge of the small lake, hands on her hips as Neil's head popped out of the water, sputtering, "Addie," before heaving himself up on the bank.

But Adelaide laughed and warned him, "Neil, don't you dare!" He stood up, peeling his wet shirt off before smiling at her innocently, She put her hands up, "Let me take my clothes off! They're relatively new!" She tore her shirt over her head, her shoulder-length, dirty blonde hair falling messily behind her neck before she reached quickly to unbutton her shorts before sliding them down her legs. She put her hands on her hips, cocking a challenging eyebrow at her brother, unaware of the blatant stares Cedric and Oliver were giving her.

Their eyes travelled up her legs: not the toothpick legs that Oliver knew so many girls had, but strong, muscular legs that were used to kicking footballs and Quaffles and gripping tightly onto broomsticks. Cedric's eyes travelled over her flat stomach that was now vibrating with laugher, her slim waist – Oliver remembered how her waist had felt not only minutes earlier: she wasn't so thin that he was afraid he'd break her, but rather her entire body seemed to be one large muscle. Their eyes rested on her chest: how had neither noticed that before? She wasn't huge but she wasn't flat either. One word floated through Oliver's mind: perfect. Cedric, however, snapped out of his reverie, confused at his reaction, worried that Jack or Neil may have noticed. He looked up at her face. It was only _Addie_. His best friend. His first friend. His Addie. Oliver's eyes were travelling all over her body, never really having seen any girl in a two-piece in real life and not particularly caring that it was Adelaide.

But then Neil had picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder with ease as she yelled and laughed and Oliver and Cedric's eyes went immediately to her bum. When her head broke through the surface again, wiping her hair back from her eyes she glared at the others, "Thanks for helping, you three." She pretended to float away but when Neil wasn't paying attention, she grabbed his ankle and pulled him forcefully back in. he sputtered to the surface and swam out to the nearly-crying Adelaide. Cedric, Oliver and Jack shook her heads at each other and took their shirts off: Jack laid back on the grass, probably wishing Cymbelia was there and ignoring his friends. Neil, treading water next to his sister, winked and tilted his heads towards the other two boys who were now shirtless.

She stole a glance at them before turning back to her brother, her eyes wide, "Neil! That's _Oliver_ and _Cedric_!"

He grinned mischievously, "Doesn't mean we still can't admire them," he turned back towards the shore discreetly, "no harm there."

Against her better judgment, Adelaide followed her brother's gaze: she was not disappointed.

"Quidditch really does do wonders," she murmured and Neil bit back a chuckled, pleased to see his sister was enjoying the view. Her eyes flickered over their hard bodies: Oliver's shorter, stockier build, his broad, tan shoulders, his muscular, tan chest, his chiseled abs. She wondered briefly how his chest was so tan and her mind conjured an image of him toiling shirtless in the Scottish countryside. Cedric was taller and not as broad as Oliver who she knew from Quidditch was built like a impenetrable wall: no, Cedric was taller and longer but not gangly as Percy had been nor as seemingly-never-ending as Bill. His arms and chest and abs were paler, but not as pale and white as she knew she was and he was muscular, even for a 16 year-old, and without meaning to she thought, "He'll only get bigger."

This thought shook her from her reverie and she tore her eyes away from her friends, turning back to Neil who was still watching the bank. She swatted at his arm, "Oi, Neil," she said sternly. He turned towards her, his eyes glazed over and she rolled her eyes, "Want me to tell them for you?"

He didn't miss a beat, "Not unless you want _me_ to tell them _you_ were drooling over them too."

Her eyes narrowed, "What about that Muggle girl you were going to try and snog?"

Neil groaned, "I don't know, do I want my first snog to be a_ girl_?"

Adelaide shrugged, "Well, if you want it to be a bloke you ought to get better at _flirting_ with them."

Neil eyed her carefully, "Are you holding out on me, dear sister?"

She shrugged, "That nice bloke at the ice cream parlor was eyeing you and when I caught him, he winked at me."

"But he gave _you_ the free ice cream."

Adelaide grimaced, remembering the hours of teasing she had endured after that incident. "Well it would have been odd, wouldn't it? Since you didn't flirt back and we were with two other guys."

Neil looked back out at the shore, his eyes sweeping over Oliver and Cedric who were laughing about something. "He _was_ cute," Neil admitted, "_and_ older," he winked at her when Oliver and Cedric jumped up, getting Jack wet in the process. "Ice cream later?"

--

Neil convinced the others to get ice cream, Adelaide having conveniently stuck some Muggle money in her pockets before she left that morning, and so a few hours later, they started into town. Neil tugged on his sister's hand, begging her to run ahead with him so he could flirt with the boy before the others came. Adelaide briefly wondered what she had gotten herself into.

When they started back home later, Adelaide discovered exactly what she had gotten into: playing chaperone. She didn't know how Neil planned on sneaking back into town after dinner and she didn't like when Neil said cryptically, "Jon said he'd bring a friend, don't worry."

Jack declined the invite for a post-dinner ice cream, ignoring Adelaide's pleas and Raymond, not suspecting any lies, agreed as long as they were "back by 9."

Jon's "friend" was an awkward, shy, mousy 18 year-old Muggle who openly stared at Adelaide, his eyes occasionally fixating on her chest and only ever wanting to talk about football. Neil and Jon disappeared around 8, leaving Adelaide and her new "friend" alone at the ice cream shop. At 8:10, Adelaide excused herself, promising to return and went to search for her brother: she found them in the dim alley between the ice cream shope and the pub. "Oi," she shouted, "Neil, we have to go," she said, hoping her annoyed tone wasn't lost on him. He turned to her and nodded, saying something briefly to Jon before running after his sister.

She held up her hand, "I don't care _how_ good a snog it was, if I have to be _near_ that creep again, I'll hex you to Christmas."

Neil grinned and roughly put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him, deciding it was best to keep his mouth shut.

--

The next day Adelaide woke up to a torrential downpour. Groaning, she trudged down to the kitchen to find her parents frowning over the _Daily Prophet_. "What's wrong?" she managed to croak out.

Her father didn't look up, "Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban." She slumped into a chair confused. Maybe she had heard wrong? Someone escape from Azkaban? Surely that was impossible! "Wasn't in his cell this morning, don't know how he escaped. But he's the one that killed all those Muggles right after –" Raymond trailed off but Adelaide knew what he was talking about.

She stole a bit of toast off his plate, "What else does it say?"

Raymond frowned, "Warns everyone to be on the lookout, not to go wandering alone – he could be anywhere in the country, probably trying to avenge his master," he looked up, his golden-brown eyes serious, paternal and threatening, "I don't want you lot going into town or down to the lake by yourselves," he continued on when she opened her mouth, "I don't care if that Wood boy can do magic or not. You're all to _stay_ _in the yard_."

Adelaide frowned and nodded, taking a bigger bite of her toast. At least she wouldn't ever have to see Jon's Muggle creep mate again.

She had barely swallowed the toast when three large barn owls tapped on the wet window glass and Sara, hastily setting her tea down, opened the window quickly before shoving it closed. Adelaide stood up, "O-ow-owls," she stuttered.

"Yes," Sara mumbled, "bloody _soaked_ ones too."

"No," Adelaide shook her head, staring at the three owls that each held a similar envelope, "scores," she swallowed. She jerked her head towards the stairs and yelled hoarsely, "Oi!" Not two minutes later her brothers jumped down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, "Where's the fire?"

Adelaide ignored Neil and pointed at the birds. Jack swallowed but Neil shrugged and grabbed the one that had his name on it, "Nothing that can be done now," he said in response to his father's smile. Jack and Adelaide looked at each other and then hastily grabbed their own envelopes, tearing them open, their eyes zooming down the page.

Neil was grinning, "All right, six O's and four E's," he high-fived his father, "_not_ bad." He looked at Jack who was smiling too, "Well, Jackie-boy? How much better did you do?"

"Eight and two," he laughed, relieved. Now everyone turned to Adelaide who's eyes were still glued to her letter. "Addie?" Jack teased, "Come on, did you get 13 O's?"

Adelaide looked up at him, "Now _don't_ be ridiculous, Jack, I only got ten –"

Jack and Neil let out loud, "A-ha"s and Ray scooped his daughter up into a hug, her mother joining in quickly. "Ten outstandings! Adelaide that's fabulous!"

Adelaide blushed, "An Exceeds Expectations in DADA though."

Jack waved his hand, comparing the three sheets, "We _all_ got that, but Merlin, we got E's in Potions – and Neil, an E in History of Magic? Come on! You could've gotten an O in that!"

Neil laughed at his brother, "I'm lucky I stayed awake through that, Jack. Now come on, let's eat up, tell Cedric and Oliver to come over and watch a movie."

--

Adelaide was surprised to see Neil wasn't that upset about not being able to go into town to see Jon, thanks to Sirius Black. "All I wanted was a nice snog from a cute bloke and I got it, so," he shrugged, "no point whining." He glared at Jack, "_You_, however, better stop whining about Cymbelia – you're going to see her in two weeks, aren't you?"

Jack ignored his brother and continued to write another lengthy letter to his girlfriend.

--

The Weasley's came home a few days later sans Bill and Charlie, but Ginny gave Adelaide a short letter from her elder brother which "begged for forgiveness" but they were "expecting" a new Chinese Fireball and Charlie was to be one of the "handlers" but he wanted to know _all_ about her O.W.L scores and _all_ about her summer.

Oliver went back to Scotland a few days before the trip to Diagon Alley which ended up being much more stressful then usual because of the 'escaped convict' and the subsequent discovery that a now teenage Harry Potter was staying at the Leaky Cauldron.

Neil, Adelaide and Cedric were as excited as Mr. Weasley when they got into the Ministry cars, never having the opportunity to drive the Anglia and despite the cramped quarters, were bouncing in their seats throughout the entire trip. Adelaide guessed at Ginny's crush on Harry but decided it was best not to say anything; the girl was only 12.

Adelaide, Neil, Cedric, Jack, Cymbelia, the twins, Oliver, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny were standing on the platform, laughing loudly and about to get onto the train when a platinum blonde Slytherin that Adelaide recognized as the new, young Seeker, Draco Malfoy, approached with his two large goons.

"Ah, if it isn't the blood traitors, freaks and Mud-" he started, sneering, but Milton and his yearmates walked up behind Malfoy, putting his hand on his shoulder in a friendly way: Malfoy's wince, however, revealed the true grip.

"Malfoy, I think you're referring to the Ragtag Gang. No need for _nasty_ names," and with a wink at Adelaide, he strode on to the train. Malfoy sneered one more time before he disappeared.

Harry stared up at Adelaide, "How did you get a _Slytherin_ to stand up for you?"

Adelaide shrugged, "Couldn't tell you, Potter, but oi, Fred! Let's think of a better name for ourselves, yea?"

--

Adelaide was never more excited for Potions then she was the first day of classes: for the first time, only the students who loved, who were good at and who _wanted_ to be there, would be in the class. Snape usually had his 'only students who got an Outstanding' rule, but since Adelaide had been the only one to get an Outstanding (apparently it was a tough year for the Potions exam), Dumbledore forced the Potions professor accept 'Exceeds Expectations' students as well. Only Jack would be staying with Potions – Neil and Cedric couldn't get away from Snape fast enough.

She wasn't surprised then when the class was noticeably smaller then previous years, even with all four Houses. She _was_ surprised, however, when Snape kept her briefly after class to speak with her. "Ms. Hayworth, I trust your summer holidays were – _enjoyable_?"

"Yes, Professor, thank you. They were very relaxing – until the news of that escaped convict."

She watched as something flickered across his dark eyes. "Yes, well, I expect Professor Flitwick spoke with you last term about your career aspirations?"

"Yessir, but I still really have no idea of _what_ I want to do –"

Professor Snape nodded, "Have you heard of the Department of Mysteries, Ms. Hayworth?"

Adelaide's mouth fell open slightly as she faltered, "Yessir, but – I mean, er, that is – they don't exactly hand out pamphlets for _that_ sector, do they?"

Snape's lips twitched, "No, they unfortunately do _not_ distribute pamphlets, as you say. But Ms. Hayworth, I noticed you only received _one_ 'Exceeds Expectations' and you are _still_ taking 11 courses – that's the sort of thing the Department is looking for. And they need more – young people."

There was a muffled rustling outside the classroom, students lining up for the next lesson, "Well, thank you, Professor, I will keep that in mind."

Snape nodded, dismissing her.

--

The older students of Hogwarts were used to having a different DADA professor each year, different teaching methods, different materials covered, different assignments, different personalities. The 6th years had already had old, boring, nervous, narcissistic, bizarre and eccentric professors. So it was with a heavy heart that the Hayworths and Cedric laid eyes upon their newest professor at the Welcome feast: a shabby, virtually nondescript man. "At least he doesn't look _old_," Neil had said.

So Adelaide wasn't particularly worried when she hurried into her first lesson, shutting the door quietly behind her, her eyes searching for an empty desk when a pair of amber, hazel eyes nearly bore through her. "Ah, you must be the missing triplet," the man said, his voice firm yet betraying a kind of quiet gentleness and amusement, "I expect you have some kind of innovative excuse, Ms. Hayworth?"

To say that Adelaide was caught off-guard would have been a colossal understatement. Who exactly was this Professor Lupin? "Sorry, sir, Professor Snape nodded a longer word then intended."

Lupin nodded, "Not very creative but I suppose the truth _is_ better. Now, if you'll take your seat?"

She sat next to Cedric, her eyes never once leaving the man: his robes were just as shabby as the night before, his hair flat and a mousy brown, his shoulder slightly rounded. His face bore several scars, some of them looked older than others as though they had longer to heal, but it still looked like a young face. His eyes were bright although Adelaide had the feeling they were hiding some deep mysteries or secrets. This man would not warrant a second glance if Adelaide had passed him in Diagon, he would have been some boring, shabby man. But as he stood in front of the class, Adelaide knew there was something more to this new professor. Boring, he was not.

--

Adelaide approached Lupin's desk at the end of the lesson ready to apologize and fully explain herself, but he raised his hand and smiled. "I was only teasing you, Ms. Hayworth, I'm well aware that you are only in this class because you _want_ to be."

Adelaide returned the easy smile, "Thanks, Professor, but I can assure you it will _never_ happen again."

Remus stared at her for a moment and Adelaide tried not to fidget under his gaze. "Forgive me," he said, "but you look _very_ familiar. Are your parents wizards?"

Adelaide nodded, "Raymond and Sara Hayworth –"

Lupin's eyes lit up, "Sara Wilkes I believe was her maiden name?" He chuckled at Adelaide's raised eyebrows, "She was a few years above me in Gryffindor, we were fairly good friends, despite the age difference," his eyes drifted from her face as he seemed to reminisce.

"Did you know my father?" She asked conversationally.

Remus was awaken from his reverie, "Was a Chaser for Hufflepuff, wasn't he? I think he graduated when I was young, only knew his name from Quidditch," he smiled, "and from what I've heard, you and your brothers have inherited _both_ of your parents' skills."

Adelaide smiled unsure, as always, at how to respond to such compliments. But Remus continued to smile and with a wink, "Don't want to be late to our next class, do we Ms. Hayworth?"

--

Adelaide let out a long sigh when she finally sat down at dinner, playfully punching Neil's arm and rolling her eyes at Jack and Cymbelia who were once again attached at the hip. "Professor Lupin was friends with mum," Adelaide said nonchalantly, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice, "he was in the same House."

Neil looked at his sister, "Already best friends with the newest DADA teach?"

Adelaide laughed, "_No_, he told me when I was apologizing for being late. Sounded like he liked her," she added.

Neil's eyebrows rose in confusion but didn't get a chance to ask any questions when Cedriic sat down next to her with a dramatic sigh.

"Long day?" She quirked her eyebrow slightly amused.

"Ewan and Norah," he muttered, "and now bloody Cook is smitten with some 5th year," he stole a bite off Adelaide's plate, resulting in a punch to the arm.

The three continued to tease one another until there was a cough behind them and they turned around at the same time: Cedric flashed his charming smile, Adelaide looked indifferent and Neil was the only one who spoke up. "Cho Chang."

"Hi, Neil," her eyes flashed to Cedric quickly before turning her attention back to Neil, "do you know when you're holding tryouts?"

Neil smiled, amused at Cho's terrible attempts at trying to hide her glances at Cedric. "End of this week since we have two positions to fill. Trying out for Chaser?"

Cho nodded, "Thanks, Neil," she turned to Cedric, "Bye, Cedric," she said softly, a shy smile gracing her features.

"Bye, Cho," he said brightly, still smiling.

Neil and Adelaide turned back to their plates, but Cedric watched her leave the hall before he turned back. Neil knew it was pointless to say anything – Cedric would deny, act clueless or pretend to be deaf – Neil was convinced that Cedric wasn't as daft as he made himself out to be. But it was Adelaide who stated the truth: "She didn't even _acknowledge_ my presence. Didn't have to be _so_ bloody obvious."

--

Adelaide had nothing against Cho Chang: she was pretty, didn't giggle like some of her yearmates, was relatively studious and was a bloody good Chaser. But Adelaide could never shake the feeling that she didn't particularly _like_ Cho. Now that Quidditch had started, Adelaide and Cho weren't on _friendly_ terms, but civil terms: Adelaide played with Cho just as well as she played with Alec: but Adelaide and Cho weren't chums off the field.

Neil never said anything, not caring if they were chums, only concerned if they played well with each other off the field. Oddly enough, it was Cedric who mentioned Adelaide's icy-off-the-pitch demeanor.

"All I'm saying is why can't you be a bit nicer to Cho? She really looks up to you –"

"Right, like you two talk about _me_," she scoffed.

"We do," Cedric said sharply, "and I'm just saying that maybe you could be a bit more _friendly_ to her that's all."

Adelaide snapped, "If you're looking for my permission, Diggory, there's no need. I don't have to be _best friends_ with your _girlfriends_," she stood up and stalked out of the Great Hall, not once looking back.

Fuming, she burst through the front doors, only calming slightly when she walked out onto the grounds, the sun low and golden, in the sky, the first scent of autumn in the air. She walked slowly to the lake, enjoying the setting sun and the gentle ripple over the otherwise glassy surface of the water. She approached the border that she and the twins, she and her brothers, she and Charlie, she, Norah and Cymbelia, she and Cedric, had sat near so many times in the previous years. Smiling sadly she made to climb up it when she heard a muffled groan from the front of the boulder. "Oh, sorry, are you hurt?" She asked blindly afraid she had dislodged some stories and hit the unseen student.

A dark-haired head popped up as Adelaide slid back down to walk around to the front, "Oliver?"

He rubbed the top of his head, "That how you greet me now, lass?"

She smiled and pushed his shoulder, "You all right?"

He sighed and sat back down on the grass, "Physically, aye."

Adelaide sat down beside him, worry etched into her face, "But mentally?"

Oliver looked at her, his deep brown eyes boring into hers and she shivered slightly, telling herself it was because of the breeze. He tore his eyes away to look back out over the lake, "I don't know, Adelaide."

She shivered again: she loved the way he said her full name, never her nickname like her other friends, liked the way it rolled off his tongue easily with that deep, Scottish burr, like he was meant to say it all the time. "Oliver," she said tentatively, touching his arm lightly, "why are you out here?"

Oliver smiled slightly, the corner of his mouth upturned, "I could ask you the same."

She returned the smile, "Enjoying the sunset."

He tried not to sigh: he knew Adelaide. She wouldn't let him leave until he told her the truth; "It's my last year, Adelaide, I'm going to leave Hogwarts, have to get a job," he sighed, his eyes staring over the lake, "everything's changing."

He turned towards her again when she said wistfully, "Everything is changing, isn't it?" She turned her head towards him and smiled rather glumly, "We aren't _kids_ anymore and I guess," she sighed and let out a chuckle, "I don't know." She tried to change the subject, "Going for a job in the Ministry?"

Oliver shook his head, leaning back against the boulder, "Going to try for Quidditch while I'm young," he glanced at her, her dirty blonde hair highlighted in the golden rays of the setting sun, her face as serene as the lake, "promise to keep a secret?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him, "When have I ever _not_ keep a secret?"

He laughed at that and gave her a genuine smile, "Puddlemere saw me play last season and are thinking about recruiting me since Goldberg is going to retire soon."

Adelaide nearly knocked him sideways into the lake as she threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck and shouting, "Oliver that's wonderful! Puddlemere! Oliver!"

He laughed, his arms around her waist, her legs underneath her body and pressed against his, "Thanks, lass, but nothing's official yet."

Adelaide scoffed and in her excitement, kissed him on the cheek before still laughing, sat back on her legs, drawing her arms away from his neck but still on his shoulder. "Oliver, this really is bloody fantastic," she smiled, her excited, pale grey eyes searched his, "so why are you still worried about finding a career?"

He licked his lips, willing his mouth to open and say something intelligent, something witty to somehow impress Adelaide or make her laugh. But his mind couldn't form a coherent thought as he stared into those eyes that he knew could see through to his very soul. They had specks of a dark, stormy grey that threatened to embody her entire iris when she was angry. Her eyes conveyed such intelligence, such warmth, such humor and occasionally such anger, but they were always beautiful. Her head was tilted slightly, her eyes probing his, waiting for an answer, ready to learn more about him, ready to help and he couldn't think of anything to say.

His face was centimeters from hers. He could almost taste the pumpkin juice on her breath. And then he spotted it, the faded smudge of ink on her jaw. It seemed so typical of Adelaide, to be taking such vigorous notes, to accidentally get ink on her face. And he knew that in typical Adelaide-fashion she probably had not been embarrassed when someone mentioned it, had probably just swiped at it and continued on with her day.

Before we knew what he was doing, he had licked his thumb and tenderly rubbed the spot with a soft smile, unaware that her breath had hitched in her throat, unaware that he had inclined his head closer to hers. Lightly, he traced her jaw with his finger up to her ear to brush her short hair away before his eyes moved slowly back to hers.

His warm, brown eyes searched hers for a second before he threw caution to the wind and pressed his lips softly to hers. He pulled away nearly seconds later, afraid that he had ruined their friendship, that her lack of reaction was a bad sign. As he tried to pull away her felt Adelaide press her lips on his, unwilling to break contact.

When they did break apart moments later, Adelaide opened her eyes slowly and Oliver admired her now slightly swollen, pink lips. "Oliver?" she whispered.

Oliver felt stupid, embarrassed that this wasn't what Adelaide wanted, wishing he could take it back and wanting desperately to kiss those pink lips again to kiss her jaw, to run his hands through her silky hair. "Adelaide, I –" but he didn't finish his thought because Adelaide had slanted her lips across his, smiling against his, her hand pressed against his chest, the other in his hair.

After what felt like an eternity, after Oliver had refrained from swiping at her lips with his tongue, he captured her bottom lip between his and pulled away, breathing heavily and resting his forehead against hers. "You're a rival Chaser," he whispered, the ghost of a smile playing across his lips. "And you have brothers and Weasley's that would pummel me."

"And I wouldn't want to ruin your recruitment chances," she teased, "because of fight-induced injuries or because you let in my shots."

"I really like you," he whispered after a moment's hesitation, seeing the truth in her statement and realizing they _couldn't_ date.

"That was my first kiss," she said quietly, hating that she felt so vulnerable, but she wasn't embarrassed; Oliver was her friend. Didn't friends tell secrets like this?

"Everything's changing," he finished softly as his thumb caressed her cheek.

--

They sat side-by-side, backs against the boulder, sides pressed together, watching the sun finally sink behind the low hills behind the lake. "It's beautiful," she murmured, watching the pinks and golds dancing across the sky. She turned her head towards him again, knowing full well he had the same thoughts on his mind. "It's your last year," she said smiling slightly as he turned his head to face her. "And you need to focus on Quidditch."

He tried not to frown, "I really like you, Adelaide. I think I always have." He leaned his forehead against hers, kissing the corner of her mouth, "You're the only girl I look at," he chuckled, "but you've got _plenty_ of guys looking at you." She rolled her eyes but he shook his head, his hand finding hers and squeezing it, "You don't know _how_ beautiful you are, lass. But I know you're well aware of your intelligence, your wit, your athleticism, your charm," he chuckled, "I'm not going to go on because we could be here all night, but you _are_ beautiful and nearly the entire male population looks at you."

She squeezed his hand and brought his mouth closer to hers, pulling his head towards her and kissed him again. When she pulled away she was nearly dizzy from all the kissing, from being so near him, from being enveloped in his familiar scent that she could only describe as masculine and _all_ Oliver. "You're not making the inevitable 'let's forget about this', any easier."

Oliver let out a deep sigh and ran his hands through his hair. "Adelaide, I'm not going to be there for you when you want me to be. You know how I get with Quidditch and now that I could play professionally?"

Adelaide stiffened slightly, "You know I wouldn't be like other girlfriends."

Oliver faltered, "Lass, it's for the best I –" he was at a loss for words. "I really like you, Adelaide, I probably have longer than I even realize."

"So you've said," she said as she moved to stand up and Oliver, stealing a glance saw that those few stormy grey specks had seemingly multiplied. He made to stand up with her but she shook her head, "I'd like to be alone. Goodbye, Wood."

With that stinging goodbye, Adelaide left the boulder, leaving Oliver's side suddenly cold.

--

A/N: A-ha you didn't expect it to end there, didya? :) I thought this was a nice little, well, not really cliffhanger, but a nice little ending. What now? Will she beat the crap out of him? Let it slide? Become a huge slut? Wait to find out! There will only be one more chapter to take place during 6th year – I'm actually almost finished writing it I think, I want it to be rather short. Maybe a quick fight with Cymbelia and Jack, I don't really like them to be so bloody perfect, but we'll see………

Please review!!!

And here's what they got on their O.W.L.s if ya'll were interested. I did this chart thing out mainly for myself so I wouldn't keep track, but here ya go!

Cedric: **O**: Herb, Astrono, Transfig, Muggle **E**: Creatures, Potions, Charms, DADA, History, Divin

Neil: **O**: Creatures, Herb, Astrono, Transfig, Muggle **E**: Potions, DADA, History, Divin  
Jack: **O**: Creatures, Herb, Arthim, Astrono, Transfig, Charms, Muggle, History **E**: Potions, DADA  
Adelaide: **O**: Creatures, Herb, Potions, Ruins, Arthim, Astrono, Transfig, Charms, Muggle, History

**E**: DADA


	10. Sixth Year: Part II

A/N: Sorry this is taking so long – school/real life is back in session….

--

_**Sixth Year – Part II**_

She spoke to no one the rest of the night, shutting herself in her four-poster bed and attempting to erase _any_ and _all_ thoughts from her mind. The next morning she got ready quickly, refused to look in the mirror and hurried down to breakfast, pleased to see Cedric already eating. "Ceddie?" She stood behind him and watched as his back went straight, his neck tensing slightly. "I just wanted to apologize for yesterday, I-I don't know what came over me."

Cedric turned, a relieved smile on his face, "Addie, I was going to apologize to you – I was being a prat."

Adelaide laughed and ruffled his hair playfully, "Can't refute that," she grinned before heading over to her table, greeting Cho warmly as she sat down. If Cedric liked this girl, wasn't it her duty to be nice? Even if she _really_ didn't want to?

--

She acted as normally as possible the next two weeks leading up to and past her 16th birthday and no one noticed anything out of the ordinary about her behavior. She was ignoring Oliver's very existence, but he was already consumed by Quidditch and didn't talk to anyone. It was the twins, however, who noticed the refusal of Adelaide to sit at the Gryffindor table and confronted her. It was a brisk October day when they found her sitting out on one of the stone benches.

"What's going on with you?" George blurted out.

Fred rolled his eyes and smacked his brother's head, "What he _meant_, Addie darling, was 'hullo, how are you' –"

"- and what's going on with you and Oliver? He's turned into some kind of mental, loony, bastard –"

Adelaide's eyebrows nearly flew up into her hair, "Such big words, eh Weasley?"

George rolled his eyes, "Don't try to change the subject, Hayworth. We know you better than that."

Adelaide did her best to smile convincingly, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine and I can't say to know the cause of Wood's new lunacy, but I'm sure he really wants that Cup."

George and Fred looked at each other before sitting on either side of her, effectively smushing her. "You're trying to lie to some of the most believable and effective liars, love. Give us a break."

She didn't say anything so Fred tried a new tactic, "Did you have a row?"

Adelaide sighed, "Just more of a disagreement is all, nothing big."

The twins didn't look convinced. "So you're not talking to him, not sitting with us _ever_ at meals because of a disagreement?"

Adelaide sighed, "He's busy and if it upsets you so much, I'll come and sit with you lot sometimes."

Fred asked softly, "Addie, did he _hurt_ you?"

She scoffed, "Would Wood still be alive if that were the case?"

George laughed but Fred was unconvinced.

--

She walked back into the castle with the twins and apologizing and reassuring them she was fine hurried up to the Tower and sneaking up to her dormitory. No one was there so she shut herself in the bathroom and bracing herself, looking into the mirror. She looked much the same as she always did, her face slightly pink and her hair slightly mussed from the cold wind, but she looked the same. She stared at herself, her eyes hard: what was she doing avoiding Oliver? Just because they had kissed and now he was too busy to be her boyfriend? Well, wasn't _she_ too busy to be a girlfriend? Her N.E.W.T. classes were demanding, they always seemed to have Quidditch practice and now she was worried what she would do after graduation. And she didn't much want a boyfriend anyway! Sure, kissing Oliver had been nice, but boyfriends were more trouble than they were worth and Adelaide was more than happy with her numerous boy friends.

That kiss. Those kisses. Her first and only kisses. Was she mad that Oliver had kissed her only to declare that he _liked_ her but had to focus on Quidditch? How could he block her shots if they were dating? How could she shoot at him? She flattened her hair absently, watching in the mirror. She _was_ mad that the kiss for him hadn't seemed to mean anything when to her –

"That's just stupid," she said, staring at herself again, reminding herself that he had admitted he liked her, told her how wonderful she was and she sighed, her eyes drifting to her fingers that were gripping the edge of the sink. "You're attracted to him, he's your _friend_ and you _both_ agree nothing can come of anything – and even when this season is over," she chuckled and took out her wand, pointing it at her hair, "there'll always be another." She smiled genuinely now, "And at least he realizes you're a girl."

--

Adelaide no longer ignored Oliver, although he was still far too preoccupied to chat much with her, let alone even pine for her: he had thrown himself completely into Quidditch and his few classes, convinced it was better for _both_ of them this way. But Adelaide, after her bathroom pep talk and allegorical hair cut, decided to still write to Charlie about the entire situation knowing _he_ wouldn't tease or pity her like her brothers or her friends might. No, Charlie would only listen and agree with her.

It was the end of October and the first match was fast approaching: Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but news of Sirius Black and tales of the near-by Dementors were running rampant, although most students tried to ignore them. Adelaide, however, was trying to hide her suspicions that odd things happened at Hogwarts only when Harry Potter had arrived.

Cho was more tolerable now and Adelaide hated to admit that she rather liked the girl – as apparently Cedric did too, although he never said anything to Adelaide, having already learned his lesson.

One day after DADA, Adelaide stayed after class, hoping to speak with Professor Lupin. She approached his desk and felt immensely guilty: the man looked especially haggard and tired and she remembered that he had looked especially awful for a few days last month as well. "Excuse me, Professor?"

He looked up and despite his tired appearance, he smiled, "Yes, Ms. Hayworth, what can I do for you?"

"Well, sir, I was hoping maybe you had some time now to talk, I have uh, a few questions."

Remus nodded, his eyes noticeably more alert, his face serious, "Please, please, sit, I have the rest of the day free."

Adelaide sat gratefully and forced herself to look at him, "Sir, I was wondering, well, what exactly could you tell me about the Department of Mysteries?"

--

Adelaide told no one about her discussion with Professor Lupin, she told no one about the odd looks he gave her, his concerned eyes as he told her what little he or anyone knew about the Department. She told no one his near-anxiety for her even contemplating such a career, his silent-anger that Snape or Dumbledore would even suggest such a thing. And no one seemed to notice the softness that reached his eyes when he spoke to her now.

Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff, much to the silent pleasure of Oliver who barely let his team celebrate before practicing them hard again. Adelaide wanted to know if Puddlemere United had been at the match and finally brought herself to ask when it was quite obvious he wasn't going to voluntarily tell her. He was startled when she addressed him, but his eyes immediately softened and his lips pressed together tightly, his tan face, looking strained. "Yes, lass?"

Adelaide's heart beat a little louder but her voice was steady and she smiled, "Any news on the career-front?"

Oliver's face remained unchanging, "They were at the match, yes. Want me to go to a few trainings over the holidays."

"Oliver, that's great!"

Oliver nodded, "But they can't officially sign me until I graduate," she felt his eyes boring into hers and she glanced away, not wanting to see or hear the excuses, the possible longing, the real feelings he had for her. "So this season will be my training."

Adelaide tried to smile genuinely, tried to be happy for her friend, but that small hope that he could have time for Quidditch _and_ her was shot and her heart was heavy for a moment before she gathered her wits again, keeping her emotions in check. "That's _really_ great, Oliver, I'm really happy for you," she looked around, "I'd love to stay and chat but I have a meeting with Snape about _my_ future." And without another word, she walked away.

She didn't technically have a meeting with Snape but she had wanted to speak with him, wanted to know _why_ he exactly what he wanted her to apparently waste away or go crazy in the Department of Mysteries without intending to, she knocked forcefully on the door to his office in the dungeons and swept in without waiting for permission.

Snape cocked an eyebrow, his face contorted into its best sneer; he really had mastered the art of intimidation. "Mrs. Hayworth?"

Adelaide, however, was not intimidated. "Do you want me to go to St. Mungo's?"

Snape was caught completely off guard but managed to hide his surprise, "Excuse me? I have no intention of sending you, and I believe that is _no_ way to speak to a professor?"

He watched her fierce eyes soften and her head drop slightly, "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean, I –" she sat down, "what I _meant_ to say, Professor, was why did you suggest the Department of Mysteries?"

Snape's face didn't change and he sat quietly for a few moments when Adelaide felt her head prickle slightly before it stopped. She stared at her professor when his lips curved upwards slightly in a smirk. "I think this only proves my point, Ms. Hayworth."

Adelaide didn't respond and only continued to look at him questioningly.

"I assume you heard rumors about those who have worked in the Department?" She merely nodded again, "and you love to learn new things, you are an excellent scholar, you want to do something _interesting_ I dare say and you aren't afraid of anything," he paused again but she didn't move her head. "And now I see you are an accomplished Legilimens."

Adelaide looked as confused as ever, "Sorry, sir?"

"You do know what Occulemency is?"

Adelaide smiled, "Of course I do, sir. But I've never practiced it, nor have I _accomplished_ it," she smiled again, until it dawned on her. "Is that what you did before? Try to enter my mind?"

Snape looked confused, now, an expression Adelaide had never seen him wear when she felt her mind prickle again, "Sir!"

"You _are_ a Legilimens," he stated, daring her to argue.

"Professor, I can _assure_ you I am not," she hesitated, "I _am_ a triplet, Professor, and the only girl, and since we have some sort of link, deeper even then twins, maybe," she paused, uncomfortable thinking out loud to her Professor.

He looked skeptical, "You've _never_ attempted?" She shook her head.

"It is hard to have any privacy as a twin," she suggested.

He looked at her warily, "It's a _flawed_ theory, but since this is the first I've ever met someone with such a _strong_ ability without practice," he trailed off, "anyway, this is an asset. Ms. Hayworth, if I were you, I would not listen to the rumors: a position in the Department of Mysteries is _very_ prestigious and at your age would be a very unprecedented. You would be able to research, many things that others could not, things you could only dream of." Without hesitation he stood up, "Now, if you'll excuse me," he waved his hand towards the door, giving her no room to argue. With a disgruntled nod, she left.

--

Christmas came quickly and even though Adelaide was immersing herself in her courses, she still noticed the rift between her brother and his girlfriend. During the holidays, however, he refused to discuss it, simply stating that they had had a few arguments and claimed that perhaps the added stress of Prefect rounds were taking their toll on their relationship. He refused any sympathy from his siblings, saying they'd be the first to know when he and Cymbelia made any kind of decision.

Adelaide had frowned at Neil when Jack turned his attention back to his plate; Neil knew exactly what Adelaide was worried about. If they _did_ break up or "take a break", Cymbelia would expect Adelaide to help her through it…

Adelaide wanted her brother to be happy but she preferred to _not_ be caught in the middle.

The train ride back to school was more subdued than usual and there was no stop for dementors. Neil asked Cedric about Cho, but he only shrugged, saying they were just friends. Adelaide tried not to roll her eyes. But then he turned towards his sister asking where Oliver was. She shrugged, trying to keep from looking too disgusted, "How should I know? Probably going over Quidditch plays?"

Neil was confused by this response, concerned that Adelaide was a little too angry, but he decided against pressing when the twins came through the door. "Oliver's gone loony –"

"– Jack and Cymbelia are arguing –"

"– and Percy is snogging that bird in another compartment –"

"– and did we mention Wood is off his rocker?"

--

Adelaide had barely made it into the common room when Cymbelia stepped in front of her, her face puffy and pink, her arms hugging her chest, and barely chocked out, "Addie? Can we talk?"

Adelaide tried not to openly frown, "Uh, sure, Cymbelia." She led Adelaide up the stairs to the dormitories, shutting the door before she nearly collapsed on her bed crying. Awkwardly Adelaide sat next to her, stroking her hair, trying her hardest to be sympathetic."

"We're taking a break," she whined and Adelaide winced from the high-pitched, grating nature of her voice.

"What happened?"

Cymbelia chocked on a sob, "We, we've been arguing a lot – I want to be Head Girl and I want him to be Head Boy, but he doesn't want to be and, and I – I accused him of not loving me and –"

Adelaide had to interrupt her, she couldn't listen to Cymbelia complain about a blame her brother. She stood up, "Cym, I – I can't do this, he's my _brother_."

Cymbelia sat up furious. "What happened to chicks before dicks?"

Adelaide rolled her eyes at the Muggle phrase and let out a laugh that was a bit harsher than she had intended, "Right, _that's_ rich, coming from the girl who has all but _ignored_ me for a _year_! You know nothing about what's happened to me for the past year! And Merlin, Cymbelia, he's my brother!" She ran a hand over her tired face, "I hoped we could all be mature friends about this, but I guess that's _impossible_, isn't it?"

Grabbing her bag, Adelaide ran out of the dormitory, throwing herself down onto one of the plush couches, hoping that Cymbelia would go to sleep soon.

--

Jack didn't hate Cymbelia; on the contrary, he still cared deeply for her, so it was obvious that she and Adelaide were fighting at breakfast that morning. He was afraid this might happen: Adelaide was _too_ loyal for her own good. He took a sip of his tea, "Please talk to her."

She looked up, confused, and her heart nearly broke when she saw his eyes. "We _don't_ hate each other and I doubt she'll trash-talk me, Addie. But please, talk to her, be her friend again?" He smiled slightly, "Maybe you two should drag Norah out to Hogsmeade or something."

Adelaide smiled in spite of herself, "The prefect is encouraging rule-breaking trips to Hogsmeade, when there's an escaped convict? _That's_ good." She nodded, "For you, Jack? I will."

--

Adelaide smiled over her mug at her friends as their laughter subsided, Norah shoving another tea cake into her mouth. "I've missed this," Cymbelia said sincerely, "hanging out with just you guys, not worrying about boys or classes or Quidditch –" she smiled shyly. "I am really sorry that I became kinda – distant – when I was with Jack."

Norah frowned, "And I'm going to find a better balance with Ewan, I promise."

Adelaide shrugged, "We're _friends_ guys. It's not like I was mad," she laughed, "I was happy for you guys!"

Cymbelia shook her head, "We should have been there for you –"

Adelaide looked sternly at her friends, "Stop. Seriously."

Norah put her hand on Cymbelia's shoulder, "We'll be better now, won't we?"

Cymbelia nodded, more cheerful now, "And Jack and I promised to be _friends_."

There was a friendly pause before Norah tentatively asked about Oliver: Adelaide had already told them they had kissed but had left it at that. Adelaide shook her head, "No, no, we're not talking about that because there is absolutely _nothing_ to talk about," she kept talking, gesturing wildly with her hands. "So it was my first kiss – what did I _think_ was going to happen?" She laughed slightly and Cymbelia shared a look with Norah, "It's Oliver! He wouldn't be Oliver without Quidditch, would he?"

Cymbelia shook her head, "Adelaide, come on, that's real rough, he kissed you – your bloody first kiss – and then he pulls _this_ crap? No, Adelaide, I _know_ he's your friend and all, but Merlin's beard."

Norah agreed, "You should make him jealous."

Adelaide rolled her eyes and laughed, "Please. How can I compete with Quidditch?"

--

It was the middle of March when Adelaide realized her new favorite professor was a werewolf: she didn't know how no one else was putting two and two together, but she didn't care. He hadn't attacked anyone, Dumbeldore wouldn't have put the students at risk, and wasn't Lupin the best DADA professor she had ever had?"

So she kept her discovery to herself but found that she had a new found respect for her shabby professor. And she caught herself thinking that maybe he was slightly attractive. For an older man.

It was around this time that Quidditch practices got _much_ more intense. Neil wasn't the only Hayworth who was taking Quidditch seriously: Jack was taking his pent up emotions and using them on the pitch and Adelaide was determined to make Oliver work for his possible recruitment.

But she didn't want to show him what he was missing. No, no. That would be juvenile.

Cho grinned as they landed on the ground, "Wow, Adelaide, that was amazing, you really pushed me –"

Adelaide laughed, "Cho, you are one _bizarre_ girl," she put her arm around her shoulder, "we are going to crush, Gryffindor."

The girls laughed as they walked into the locker room only to walk back out a few minutes later, still laughing, when they ran into Cedric. "Hey Addie, hey Cho," he said brightly, ready to walk with them both to the castle.

Adelaide, who was in a cheerful mood and saw Cho's shy smile, pretended like she forgot something in the locker room and with a wink at Cedric, went to go "look" for it.

--

Adelaide was unusually chipper the morning of the match and her demeanor alarmed the twins who had come to wish the triplets good luck. Adelaide could only grin wider when Cymbelia gave Jack a good-luck kiss on the cheek. She didn't care if they won; she wanted to make Oliver work, wanted to make him have to _prove_ himself to Puddlemere.

And he did. Adelaide did a few of her signature shots, a few were able to sneak by, and even Cho and Alec had stepped up their game. And then, grinning wildly, Adelaide let loose a string of shots that she had never done before: over her shoulder, faking Oliver out by spinning around, throwing it like it was a discus and passing to a quiet Cho who Oliver never knew was waiting right by an empty hoop.

But all of Adelaide's shot weren't enough to win when Harry Potter caught the Snitch. And even though they won, Adelaide knew Oliver would _not_ be entirely pleased.

An older man approached Adelaide when she began to walk towards the locker room. "Excuse me, Ms. Hayworth?" She turned around and waited for him to continue. "You, Hayworth, are one _phenomenal_ Chaser," he held out his hand, "Bob Young, Assistant Coach for Puddlemere United. I know you and your brothers are only 6th years, but we would _really_ be interested in acquiring your skills and talent once you graduate," he handed her a card.

She took it and smiled, "I'm not sure what my post-graduation plans are sir –"

He waved his hand, "_Nonsense_, Hayworth. With raw talent like yours, you'd be foolish not too play professionally."

Adelaide nodded, "Right, well, thanks. I'll keep it in mind," she said warily as she walked away and tried to ignore his eager smile. She jogged to reach her teammates, trying desperately to hide her confusion and smile but Neil, who wasn't that disappointed with their loss, noticed.

"Was that some scout?"

She bit her lip, "Puddlemere. They were probably here for Oliver since he's the only 7th year and they'll need a Keeper –"

Alec scoffed, "They'll probably kick players off a team to keep you three together –"

"Pay you _heaps_ of money," Timothy added.

Neil ignored these comments, "Well?"

"Just wanted me to keep them in mind next year. Said we'd be fools if we didn't play professionally."

Neil smiled, knowing full well the scout never said 'we'. "But _you_ aren't going to play Quidditch, are you, Addie?"

--

The rest of the term went by quickly. Gryffindor won the Cup, just _barely_ squeaking by Slytherin, Oliver was recruited by Puddlemere and Adelaide was one of the many to offer their polite congratulations. Jack and Cymbelia continued to be "friends"; Adelaide, Cymbelia and Norah continued to spend more time together and Cho and Cedric continued their "friendship" although Adelaide and Cedric never explicitly spoke of it.

Adelaide was ready for the end of term, ready for summer, although she knew it wouldn't be very relaxing. However, at the end of term feast, there was, yet again, some sort of cryptic speech from Dumbledore and glancing at Ron's friends and then back to the Professor's table, she had an idea of what may have happened.

A few hours before they were to leave, Adelaide walked through the open office door, "Professor?"

He turned around and she was met with the same tired, haggard and shabby professor she had grown so used to: except that today there was no hint of a smile. "You're not coming back, are you?"

He frowned, "Is it common knowledge already? I didn't think my condition would travel so quickly –"

Adelaide was surprised, "Oh, no, professor," she paused, "actually, I figured that out a while ago. But you're packing, every other DADA professor has left after a year and Dumbledore had another bizarre speech and Ron and his mates looked like, well, like they knew what was going on. Yet again."

Lupin smiled, "You really _are_ very clever, aren't you?" She tried not to blush. "I had heard the rumors that you were Snape's favorite student," he chuckled, "it was a pleasure to teach you, you know."

"What will you do now?"

He shrugged, "Don't know – _do_ tell your mother I said hello?"

She knew an indirect dismissal when she heard one, "Will you – can I write you if I have questions or want advice – on the – my career?"

He smiled warmly, "Of course, Ms. Hayworth." She shook his hand and left, walking past Harry Potter.

She stopped him when she saw his hurt, sad and tired face, his usually bright green eyes abnormally gloomy, "Potter," she started, "you can talk to me you know," she paused, "I'm pretty fantastic at keeping secrets. And I know you probably won't, since you're all secretive, but I just wanted you to know –"

He nodded, his eyes staring back into hers and walked past her into Lupin's office, slightly confused.

--

Adelaide was so enjoying her time with her friends on the train that she didn't have a moment to even think about Oliver. But then Cho stopped by, requesting a word with Cedric who did not look particularly pleased. And moments later Oliver was standing right outside the door, smiling at the congratulatory shouts from the twins and her brothers and with a more serious face, he asked if he could steal Adelaide "for a mo".

Nodding at Norah and Cymbelia who looked concerned for her or for what they thought she might do to Oliver she wasn't sure, she followed him a few feet down the corridor. She waited for him to speak, leaning against the opposite wall, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Adelaide, I," he paused, "are we still friends?"

She shrugged, "It had never occurred to me that we weren't."

He winced at her emotionless tone, "I wish I were different, lass, you know that."

She tried to refrain from rolling her eyes, "Honestly, Oliver, I don't know why you're bothering to – well, whatever it is you're trying to say, but _please_. We're friends. You love Quidditch. There is not much else to say."

He frowned, taking a step closer, "Maybe in a few years, when I'm too old to play –"

"You'll be coaching it," she finished, watching him warily as he took another step closer.

"Lass, I, well, if when I _am_ done with Quidditch and you're single I –"

"That's a _long_ way away, Wood."

He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, his eyes darting to her lips, "But I know you, lass. You don't like to get intimate with many boys, do you? They all just want to be your friend because you frighten them. But you don't frighten me, lass." He misinterpreted her glare and aggravated face, "Can I just kiss you one more time?"

He leaned his head towards hers, her heart pounding in her ears in anger, and instinctively she ducked under his arm that was leaning against the wall, "Good_bye_, Wood," she said icily, "good luck with Puddlemere."

She had only walked a few feet when she saw Cedric staring at her from a short distance. She smiled at him but he didn't return it. "Are you coming in?" she motioned to the compartment.

His eyes glanced past her for a moment before he shook his head, "Not yet."

She nodded; she had a nagging feeling he might say something to Oliver, but _surely_ he wouldn't. Would he?

--

A/N: SO SO SORRY this took forever! I already have a lot written for the summer, and I really hope you guys will like it! But I haven't even gotten to the World Cup yet so……might be a while again. :(

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!


	11. The Summer Hols: Quidditch World Cup

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!! :)

--

_**Summer Holidays:**_

_**The Quidditch World Cup**_

The first thing their parents asked them at the start of the summer holidays was what they planned on doing after graduation. They all looked at each other: they had barely discussed it themselves, but knew their parents expected a response.

Neil grinned, "Quidditch. I'll make good money, they always need new Keepers and I can't exactly see myself at the Ministry," his grin grew, "and I know that some coaches – not just Puddlemere United – have been to our matches."

Jack frowned, "I really think I want to work on the Reserve," he said quietly, "maybe have some Healer training while I'm there."

Ray was beaming, "No desk jobs for our boys I see Sara." He turned to his daughter, "Adelaide?"

She frowned, her eyes glued to her plate, "Well, Snape suggested I work at the Department of Mysteries, said Dumbledore agreed, and I spoke to Lupin about it –"

Sara's face paled, "Dumbledore agreed?"

She nodded and Ray set down his glass, "Do you _want_ to, Adelaide?"

"Raymond, she can't possibly understand the danger, the –"

"_No one_ exactly knows, do they, Sara?" He turned back to his daughter, "If this is what you want to do, and you understand the circumstances and you feel comfortable…" his voice trailed off as he watched her face screw up to think.

The subject was dropped almost instantly, everyone sensing that Adelaide didn't want to even think about it, much less discuss it.

--

They were lying out on the grassy knoll in between the Hayworth's house and the Burrow; no one said a word as they watched the clouds roll by and listened to the sounds of the various insects hovering overhead. Adelaide rolled her head to one side, smiling when her cheek met the dry grass and opened an eye. Cedric, who was lying next to her, had his arms crossed over her chest, his brow furrowed. She frowned, realizing he had deliberately lain far enough away from her so they wouldn't accidentally touch and his whole body seemed tense.

"Cedric?" Her voice was hesitant, but when he made no move to answer her she sighed and tried again. "Cedric, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," his voice was gruff and she flinched slightly.

"It's not _nothing_, Cedric, you've been acting strange since we got back," she attempted to shift her body so she could touch his arm, but he sat up.

"Nothing is wrong, Adelaide." His voice was harsh and authoritative and this only riled her up more.

"Cedric," she sat up now too, ignoring the others lying about around them, listening. "You can tell _me_. Is it your dad?" She knew Amos was a good man, a good father who loved his son, but she also knew he could be a bit demanding.

Cedric laughed harshly, "Yea, sure, it's my dad, okay?" He looked away from her, but she rested a hand on his shoulder, only for him to shrug it off, stand up quickly and stomp off to his house without another word.

Adelaide watched him leave, her mouth hung open in shock, "What –" she looked over at her brother, "was _that_?"

Neil shrugged and watched as Adelaide ran after him. George frowned, "Did Adelaide and Cedric just have a really big row?"

"And did Cedric get angry this time?" Fred finished.

Jack sighed, "This can't end well."

Adelaide overtook him in mere seconds, but he continued to ignore her until she planted her feet right in his bath, one hand on her waist, the other on his chest to stop him. The look of annoyance and irritation on her face _would_ have been comical if he wasn't so angry. "What is going on?" Her voice was demanding and he knew he'd never get out of this one.

"What's _my_ problem, Adelaide, is that you didn't stand up to Oliver," he paused, watching her grey eyes go from irritated to confused.

"What?"

"On the train – did he hurt you, did he take advantage of you, Adelaide?"

"What? No!" She looked horrified but he pressed on.

"Just because you think he's your friend, doesn't mean you should let him do things –"

"Cedric, what are you talking about?"

His voice was softer now, "I saw you on the train – I thought he tried something and you let him off free and I – I," he stared into her eyes, his hazel eyes that were always warm and friendly and laughing were now filled with such concern and worry and anger that Adelaide couldn't help but smile.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, tugging him close to her, resting her head on his chest and smiled contently, "Ceddie, he didn't try anything but to kiss me – you should know that I would never let him get away unharmed if he had."

Cedric let out a breath and rested his head on the top of hers, "I just got so angry then, and realized how distant you two had become and – and I –"

"I should be mad you tried to defend my honor."

He laughed, "I didn't _hurt_ him. Only yelled at him, threatened him," he paused and said hesitantly, "did, did you _kiss_ him?" Adelaide blanched. "I mean, you left looking a little upset, so I just didn't know."

Adelaide pulled away from him and looked up at his face, still so filled with concern. "Once," she said softly, "right before we started to avoid each other. Said he was too busy with Quidditch." She watched as his fist clenched and she looked up in surprise to see his eyes blazing.

"That _little_ bastard, he doesn't know what he's –"

"Cedric!" She grabbed his chin, "Stop." She rolled her eyes, "It's _fine_. I'm _over_ it."

"Not the point," he mumbled bitterly.

"Did you ever kiss _Cho_?" She teased and laughed when he squirmed.

"A few times, but she's bloody _annoying_."

"How? After all I did to be friends with her?"

Cedric groaned and ran a hand through his hair, "Bloody stupid girl was _jealous_ of you." He joined in her laughter and followed her back to the others.

They'd be _fine._

--

Cedric had been lying, however; his father _was_ giving him a tough time about his "future". He and Adelaide would spend most evenings strolling across the lawns, along the edges of the forest, watching the fireflies flicker in front of them, watching the stars and the moon began to shine across the sky. He confessed to her that he had no idea what he wanted to do: he didn't want to disappoint his father but he also didn't think he had to "prove himself" to anyone.

No one mentioned these evening strolls because the only people who even noticed they were ever missing were Neil and Jack. Adelaide and Cedric acted no different during the day around their friends and families, always laughing and teasing, but when they went off together, they talked seriously about nearly everything. She was telling Cedric things she had never even mentioned to Charlie.

They were comfortable around each other and spoke candidly about their fears, anxieties and hopes for the future. It wasn't that they didn't _trust_ anyone else, but no one else would understand. The twins were too young and were already determined to open a joke shop; Neil and Jack knew _exactly_ what they wanted to do; Percy was already working at the Ministry and was too big of a "prat" to have "time" for them; and Charlie and Bill had always known what they wanted to do as well. They were stuck in this together.

One night Cedric was particularly irritated. "He just _won't_ let me alone, Adelaide! Wants me to go to lunch with some of his friends, use his contacts," he tugged at his hair that was now shooting out at odd angles off his head, "what if I _want_ to start at the bottom? To _prove_ myself."

Adelaide nodded, "Tell him that, Cedric."

He threw his hands up in the air, "But he'll want to know what Department I'll want to work in!"

Adelaide took his hands in hers and pulled him so he faced her, an anxious grimace casting shadows from the fading light of the setting sun.

"Can't you just lie for now? Tell him you want to be a Healer or something you can't really use contacts for _that_ before training."

His face softened into a faint smile, "I could, I guess, just to get him off my back?" She nodded and he continued softly, "What about you?"

"I wrote a letter – I didn't send it yet," she finished hastily, "I want you to read it and, I want you to be there when I send it to the Department."

He nodded, his warm, hazel eyes searching hers, "Nervous?" She swallowed and nodded and smiling, he pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her protectively, "We're growing up, aren't we?"

Her voice was as soft as his, "Last year, NEWTs, jobs, and soon they're going to want us to get married and have families, aren't they?"

She felt Cedric rest his head on top of hers, but he made no move to respond. They both knew the answer.

--

A few days after Cedric had held Adelaide's hand as she sent her owl, they all went down to the lake, chattering excitedly about the upcoming World Cup. Adelaide yelled at the twins to stop teasing poor Ginny, who at 13, was just beginning to care about her body, but her reprimanding was useless. Ginny could more than take care of herself. They reached the lake and wasted no time in shedding their clothes. But the twins had turned their attentions from their sister to Adelaide and grinning, each let out a low whistle. "Hayworth, why have you been hiding underneath clothes for so long?"

"We knew Quidditch could do a body good, but –"

"Ronnekins, look away or you might start stuttering in front of St. Ottery's resident –"

"Enough," she said, rolling her eyes. But they didn't stop.

"Diggory, did you know your best mate was _actually_ female?"

Adelaide tried to ignore this comment but she spun around, her face indignant and stomped towards the twins, ready to push them into the water, but Cedric was faster. He stepped in between and wrapping an arm easily around her waist, used his other hand to neatly shove Fred into the lake. "Oi! I think you owe her an _apology_, Weasley."

Fred sputtered up to the surface just in time to dodge George's flailing arms as Cedric pushed him in too. "Right, right, sorry, Adelaide, we were out of a line."

Cedric flashed Adelaide his "charming smile" ignoring her look of irritation and shock and easily lifted her off the ground and threw her lightly into the water before jumping in behind her.

Jack, Neil and Ginny all laughed as Adelaide splashed Cedric, "I could have handled that!"

But Cedric only grinned and laughing wrapped his arms around hers so she couldn't move, "They insulted me too, Adelaide! To think I'd forgotten my best mate was a girl!"

Adelaide pouted, watching water drip off his hair and down his face, but didn't say anything. His grin softened and he stared into her eyes and she was caught slightly off-guard by the deep almost gold color of his eyes. "And for _their_ sakes, you _do_ look good in a swimsuit."

She let out an annoyed shout as he grinned laughing, releasing her arms and trying to swim away from her but she clambered onto his back, laughing and playfully shoved his head underwater.

"Ha!" She exclaimed triumphantly when he came back up and spat out a stream of water into her face. This only caused everyone else to laugh uproariously and try to avoid the vengeful Adelaide the rest of the afternoon.

--

He groaned when his head smacked into his headboard. Sitting up groggily, he rubbed his head; had his bed gotten smaller? He hadn't grown _that_ much since he had been here last, or at least he hadn't thought so. His mother might have said so last night when he stumbled into the kitchen, but it was hard to understand, _anything_ through her tears "of joy". After she had shoved food in front of him and fawned over him long enough he begged her to promise to _not_ wake him up in the morning. He was on vacation.

Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and pulled the curtains open, blinking rapidly at the blazing sun. His eyes moving across the landscape and he smiled: as much as he loved Romania, he loved his childhood home too. His eyes caught a group of kids – no, not kids – running, skipping and jumping across the tall grass and he grinned. There were his younger siblings, Ginny's long, fiery ponytail flowing behind her as she held tightly onto Neil's back as he ran down the slope, the twins laughing from their spot on top of the hill. He could hear their laughter and Ginny's squeals but couldn't make out their chatter. But then his eyes landed on her.

How long had it been? Three years? Four? As he looked at her from his bedroom window, he felt as though he hadn't seen her in eons. Or maybe days. Even from far away he could tell that she had changed: taller, muscular, _older_. And yet he knew she would still be the same Adelaide he had met years before, the same Adelaide he wrote to. Grinning like an idiot, he tore his eyes from the window to shower quickly anxious to see everyone to see her. Would she still be the same? Would she still want to be his friend, his confidant? Would she be as happy to see him as he was to see her?

He looked out the window once more and watched her take a running leap on to the back of who he could only assume was a taller, older, bulkier, Cedric. He felt a pang of jealousy as she laughed, throwing her shoulder-length hair behind her head as she twisted her body, trying to get Cedric to fall. The sun reflected off her dirty-blonde hair that looked more golden now than he remembered and he forced his head to turn, to look away from her.

It was Adelaide. And he had to remember that he hadn't been there for her as much as he should have been, as much as she had wanted him to be. He smiled to himself, knowing that she _did_ still confide in him and reminded himself that if he ever saw Wood, he'd pummel him. And as he stepped into the shower, he wondered how many boys at Hogwarts wished they were lucky enough to even consider her a friend.

--

She was laughing at something Fred had said, laughing at how red Ron's ears were getting, laughing at how Neil was spinning a protesting Ginny when she saw him. He was leaning against the doorframe of the house watching them. Everything seemed to stop as her head slowly started to turn. Of course she recognized him, even though he looked different: older, tanned, rugged; like an adult. Grinning like an idiot, she ran the few yards to him before she jumped on him, her arms tight around his neck as she practically squealed his name. Laughing, he held her tight, kissing the top of her head before whispering gruffly, "Hiya, Addie."

She put her feet back down on the ground, but took hold of his hands, her eyes scanning his face making him laugh again. She tried to scold him for not telling her he was coming, but her grin made it far less intimidating than she would have hoped.

"Surprised?" His blue-green eyes twinkled and he winked at her. He laughed again, "Would you quit staring at me!"

She released one of his hands and swatted his arm, "Charles Weasley, I haven't seen you in years! I'm allowed to look at you all I want!"

He bit his tongue, desperately wanting to tease her, but decided against it. "Have I changed that much?"

She smiled despite herself and raised an eyebrow, "You just look different is all."

And he did look different. His hair was lighter than his siblings, a golden red, and it was longer, the front nearly reaching his eyes and as she watched, he swiped it across his forehead where it stayed. He looked slightly disshelved but awake and confident and relaxed. He was wearing a form fitting green t-shirt across his broad chest, which Adelaide could only assume, was now broader than it had been when he was 17. His face and arms were not as pale as they had once been and while she could still make out some freckles, his new tan had nearly covered them all. Her eyes travelled back up to his face. "You look older."

He pouted, "Not too old, I hope..."

She laughed and hugged him around his middle, "I missed you!"

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Missed you too."

Someone coughed behind them and Adelaide turned around to glare at the others, "You didn't tell me he was here! Fred! George! Ginny! Ron!!"

"He told us not to," Ginny pleaded.

Charlie looked at the three oldest boys, "Well, Hayworth-brothers, Diggory, I see three years time has amounted to nearly three feet of growth."

Jack laughed and Charlie was surprised to hear him speak with such a deep voice. He had missed all of them growing up. "You're nearly as tall as us, Charlie."

Neil rolled his eyes at his brother and without wasting time, pulled Charlie into a bear hug worthy of Mrs. Weasley. "I expect you're going to tell us all about your bloody dragons?"

Charlie laughed, missing Adelaide's eye roll and Jack's surprised face. "Yes, yes, but only after I hear everything that's happened to you all."

Cedric was smiling as he shook Charlie's hand heartily, his eyes darting to Adelaide, "when did you get in?"

"Last night," he put his hands up defensively as Adelaide stepped in front of him, "late!" He glanced pleadingly at Cedric but he could only shrug. "Uh, mum mentioned you were going swimming?"

Adelaide glared at him for another second before she laughed, "I'm the only one who was smart enough to wear my suit," she grabbed his hand and grinned at the others, her grey eyes twinkling, "see you all there!"

She didn't notice Cedric's annoyed look but Charlie did.

She swung their arms stealing a glance at him and laughing when their eyes met. "Now who's staring at whom?"

Charlie willed his face not to blush as he smiled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, "Well, you've changed too!" He laughed as she cocked an eyebrow, "You look older too. But of course you would," he stopped but she swung their arms so they hit his side. "Well, you're not 13 anymore, are you?"

She smiled, "No, I'm not."

They reached the lake and Charlie grinned, pulling his shirt off immediately, unaware of Adelaide's wide eyes. "I've missed this place," he said, reminicising. "Bill and I found it, do you remember?" He turned to her expectantly, trying not to laugh when she shook her head and cleared her throat. "Well?" He teased, "You going to swim with your clothes on?"

She rolled her eyes and quickly yanked her shorts and tank off, her hair falling out of its holder and in front of her face, shielding her eyes from seeing Charlie who was now openly ogling her just as she had done moments before. She brushed her hair away from her face and put her hands on her hips. "Well?"

He laughed, trying to hide his traitorous eyes (and now his stomach and his -), "Do I have to throw you in, Hayworth?" He quickly tugged on her and laughing, jumped into the lake before she could pinch him. When he tried to come up for air, however, he felt two small and yet extremely strong arms wrap around his collarbone. He managed to get a short breath before Adelaide, using her weight, her arms and her legs, which were now wrapped tightly around his torso, to pull him back into the water.

A few seconds later they were both sputtering to the surface, "Stop! Stop!" She managed to get out in between peals of laughter.

"Stop what?" He grinned, his blue-green eyes twinkling.

"Stop tickling me, Charlie!" As soon as he stopped, he let out a yelp when she pinched him. He didn't get to retaliate, however, because the twins had jumped in, huge splashes cascading down onto them as Ginny and Ron laughed.

Charlie grabbed Adelaide's hands and spun her around, "I'll save you from those rogue pranskters, don't worry, fair damsel."

She rolled her eyes, but Charlie knew those pale-grey eyes well enough to know she was trying to hide her amusement. "You go away to play with dragons for a few years and now you think you're some knight-in-shining-armor?"

"I've always been a knight-in-shining armor, my dear," he winked and smiled as she threw her head and back and laughed.

"That's where the twins get it from, eh? And I always thought Billy was the family charmer."

"How you wound me, fair maiden, with such pernicious words!" This only got her to laugh harder and rolling his eyes, he pushed her under the water.

He looked over at the grassy bank, surprised to see Ron, Neil and Cedric sitting around and chatting. But he was even more surprised to see Cedric nearly glaring at him before he turned away, bringing his attention back to his conversation. But Charlie didn't get much time to sort out what had just happened because Adelaide had jumped on his back, just as Jack approached, Ginny on his shoulders. "Fight!" One of the twins was yelling as the others laughed, helping Adelaide onto his shoulders, missing Cedric's anguished face.

--

Adelaide was now sitting on the bank in between a lazy Neil (who she had to swat a few times when she caught him staring at Charlie or Cedric) and a moody Cedric. She leaned over to her brother, "He's bound to notice."

Neil shrugged, "I wouldn't really mind. Merlin's beard, Adelaide, have you seen him?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yea, I have."

"No, I mean really taken a god look at him? He's a man, Addie." Adelaide found her eyes traveling towards Charlie, her mind thinking about what Neil had whispered. He was right, of course. Yes, Charlie was older and was a man by both Wizarding and Muggle standards, but that wasn't it. He looked like a man. A rugged, wild, manly -

She was shaken from her thoughts when Cedric coughed next to her. She turned towards him, "You have been acting weird all day. Are you ever going to tell me what your problem is or am I going to have to beat it out of you."

Cedric let out a huffy laugh and his eyes flickered to Neil who got the cue to leave when Adelaide shoved him. "Are you going to tell him?"

"Tell who what?"

Cedric rolled his eyes and spoke slower as though he were talking to a child. "Are you going to tell Charlie about, you know."

She tried not to groan in frustration, "I can't answer unless you tell me what you're talking about. What can't I tell Charlie?"

Cedric looked back out at the lake, "Well I mean, you can tell him, but, I mean, well, about our walks, about our jobs?"

"Well, I hadn't really thought about it, but I mean, I tell him, everything."

"What, and you don't tell me everything?"

Adelaide frowned, "Ceddie, what is this really about?"

He shook his head, "Just, just don't tell him about my future, okay? He's not my best friend."

"Ceddie, you're being ridiculous, come on, will you calm -"

He stood up abruptly, grabbing his shirt and shouted, "See you later," gruffly to everyone in the lake before he Apparated leaving a perplexed Adelaide in his wake.

--

Charlie joined her on the bank, leaning back on his forearms, his legs stretched out in front of him, soaking up the sun. He turned his eyes towards her, frowning when she continued to stare at the ground, picking absently at the grass next to her. "Hey, are you all right?"

She turned her head slightly towards him, her eyes lifting up to meet his as she pushed her hair away from her face. "Honestly?" He nodded. "Cedric's been acting strange all day, well, no, since you woke up."

He frowned, "Am I intruding on Cedric-Adelaide time?" His face fell, a sinking feeling in his stomach, "Are, are you two together -"

Her mouth dropped open, "No! Charlie, no! No I think he's mad that. I tell you everything. I guess he's jealous since," she lowered her voice and inclined her head towards him, "I've only told him really about how nervous and scared and nearly excited I am about the future."

She relaxed into him as he put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her towards him, "He's not mad at you, Addie. He's mad that you're spending time with me, I suppose."

Adelaide crossed her arms, "What is he? A child?"

Charlie chuckled, his chest causing Adelaide to shake slightly. "He'll come around. He is your best friend."

"Yea, some best friend."

He squeezed her shoulder before kissing the top of her head, "You want to talk about your career?"

She let out a sigh and pulling her legs towards herself and she began to tell Charlie all about what Snape and Lupin had said, all she had researched and all the possible dangers - things she hadn't even told Cedric. "I was afraid he'd get angry that I was putting my life in danger like that. You know? But I think I really want to do this, Charlie! I could help the Wizarding Society through this kind of research! I'd be studying amazing things! Things we could only dream of!"

Charlie tried not to frown, but Adelaide caught it and biting her lip, turned her head to look out at the lake, at her friends who were laughing and splashing, not a care in the world. "Addie, I train and care for dragons for a living. I can't exactly say much about the dangers of your job, can I?" He tugged on her hair so she'd look at him. "You know I'll support you, no matter what you do. But you have to promise me you'll be safe."

She let out a hesitant breath, a relieved smile on her face, "Of course, Charlie."

He smiled broadly, "Good. Now come on, smile. Good." He clucked her under the chin.

"Now, I think Ron needs to be thrown about, what'd you reckon?"

--

Adelaide was walking alongside Charlie, Ginny clinging on to his back as they all made their way back when Neil pulled on Ginny's long ponytail. Screeching, she leaped off her older brother to chase after Neil, promising to hex him once she could do magic back at school. Charlie shook his head and laughed, slinging his arm around Adelaide, the others now far in front of them. "So, Addie, love, what do you want so desperately to study?"

Her head whipped towards him, the back of her skull smacking into his arm, "What?"

Charlie clutched his arm, "Geez, you have a hard head," he smiled as she rolled her eyes towards the sky, "I asked you what you were so keen to study that you want to work in the Department of Mysteries."

She frowned, "Wow, um, oh -"

"Don't you know?" He laughed, "Or did you just want all the glory?" He was teasing her, but she barely noticed as she bit her lower lip, clutching her left arm as she tried to prevent it swinging, "No, I just, well, no one's asked me, that's all," she looked up at him and Charlie was caught off guard by the joy, innocence and excitement that lit up her eyes. "You really want to know?"

He smiled warmly and took hold of her left hand in a comforting, reassuring kind of way, "Of course, I really want to know."

"Well," she started, her voice fast and excited, "besides everything of course, I want to study thought and time - I mean, anyone can study spells, but how did those first wizards and witches think to create them? What part of our brains are different than a Muggles that we can do magic? And how are their Muggleborns for that matter? And why do some wizards think to do Dark Magic? Are they born that way? Do they become that way?" She took a breath, checking to make sure Charlie was still listening and he nodded for her to continue, trying to hide his grin.

She continued to tell him about her ambitions to study the mechanisms of stopping time, going back and forwards in time, time-turners in general, why you couldn't change things in the past, and space among the other things she had already started to study through her books from the Hogwarts' library.

When she finally stopped to take a breath, he slung his arm around her and ruffled her damp hair, "They'd be pretty foolish not to hire you. You know way more about what you want to do with your life than you realize."

Adelaide tried not to blush at the compliment, "Thanks, Charlie."

When they got to the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley sent the Hayworths home to get washed and changed for the big dinner they were going to have in a few hours time when Harry and Hermione would arrive before the Cup in the morning.

Adelaide, Jack and Neil trudged home, not speaking much until Jack blurted out, "Cedric's jealous of Charlie."

Adelaide didn't say anything, wishing that ignoring the comment they would forget it. But Neil filled the silence, "They've always been jealous of each other, vying for Adelaide's attention."

She threw up her hands, "That's preposterous!"

Neil chuckled, "And now that Charlie is back and looks like a man, all rugged and ripped and gorgeous –"

Jack rolled his eyes, "Cedric's feeling threatened."

Adelaide laughed it off, "Why would he feel threatened?"

Jack and Neil shared a look that spoke volumes; sometimes their brilliant sister was very dense. "Because he's wiser and more mature and Cedric understands that you need that."

Adelaide waved her hand, "You're both daft. I can be good friends with both of them, can't I? Please. Cedric will come to his senses, you'll see."

And she was right of course. Cedric was sitting on their porch waiting for her when they finally reached their house. He stood up, looking at her sheepishly, as he scuffed his foot on the ground, "Sorry."

She punched his arm playfully, "Just _don't_ do it again, _Diggory_."

--

Jack knocked on his sister's door, "Is Neil in there?"

He heard a groan and tried not to laugh as Adelaide whipped open the door, "Of _course_, he's bloody in here, trying to get me to wear that bloody summer dress bloody Aunt bloody sent me."

Neil poked his head over her shoulder, "But doesn't she look nice?"

Jack nodded, sure to hide his grin, "You do look nice, Adelaide. And anyway, it's warm, so this will be perfect!"

She groaned loudly and spun around, storming over to her closet to fish out a pair of flip-flops, muttering incoherently as her brothers tried not to laugh.

"Jackie! Addie! Neil! Charlie's here!" Their mother called from downstairs. Adelaide went to pull her hair back but Neil grabbed her hands.

"No," he said firmly, "you look lovely. Stop it."

She rolled her eyes and in an effort to escape her brothers, ran down the stairs only to see Charlie standing on the porch, chatting happily with her mother. She stopped on the third to last stair, staring out the old screen door and tried to breath for it seemed as the air had been knocked right out of her: Charlie's deep blue-green eyes were bright, lines forming around his eyes and lips as he laughed at something Sara had said, his golden-red hair falling nicely around his tan face, his neck lightly spattered with freckles, scars and beauty marks, his broad shoulders straining to be loose of his lightweight, plaid shirt, his sleeves, rolled up to reveal his tan, scarred, strong arms. Trying to act naturally but unable to tear her eyes away, she stepped too loudly on the next stair causing Charlie and Sara to turn to her.

Her heart beat quickly when Charlie turned to her, his lips curving into a cocky smile as he saw what she was wearing, but Adelaide missed his appreciative and hungry look as Sara smiled, "Ah, you're wearing, your Aunt's dress. Thank, Merlin, I thought I was going to have to force it on her one day, Charlie." Sara stole a glance at the young man and with a knowing smile said to her daughter, "Charlie came to tell us Mrs. Weasley is nearly ready, but I'm still waiting on my cakes and your father is trying to fix that ruddy refrigerator – without magic of course – so you lot should go and get Cedric and head over. And where _are_ your brothers?"

She stepped inside to call for the boys and Charlie smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Ah, so, Cedric?"

Adelaide smiled at his nervousness, "He's fine. Admitted he was a royal prat."

Charlie looked relieved, "Good, good. Will make tonight and tomorrow much less awkward." He cocked an eyebrow, "Nice dress."

She tried not to let out an annoyed huff, "Shut it."

He laughed, "No, really. It's nice." She glared up at him but he looked seriously at her, his eyes revealing more truth and emotions than he could speak, "You look really nice, Adelaide."

They were saved from possible embarrass when Neil and Jack flew down the stairs and Charlie clapped his hands and cleared his throat, "So, to Diggory's!"

--

Adelaide shouldn't have expected Charlie and Cedric to be overly chummy at the BBQ, but she had hoped they would at least speak more than a few words to each other the whole evening. She found it extremely taxing to try and appease Cedric's feeling and spend time with someone she may not see again for years. Eventually, she stopped caring and tried to enjoy herself.

Ginny and Adelaide had found Hermione's shyness highly entertaining but refrained from embarrassing her in front of Bill and Charlie. And Adelaide didn't think she had ever seen Harry Potter so happy the few years that she'd known him, but all he could offer was joy to be away from his aunt and uncle and his excitement to see the Quidditch World Cup.

After much complaining from the twins and Bill's rumbling stomach, they finally sat down to eat and Charlie was pleased to see he was sitting between Bill and Adelaide; that is, until her hand accidentally grazed his arm and he felt the hairs on his arm stick up. And when Neil pushed her into him, he felt his body tense and his left arm and side heat up when their bodies touched. He willed himself to keep breathing normally and hoped that she, nor anyone else, noticed. He blamed his male hormones: he no longer really saw her as a sister since he had been away for so long, there weren't many young girls on the Reserve and -

He lost his train of thought when her foot accidentally tapped his leg. She looked up at him, her face exuding the innocence of a 16 year-old girl who was too naive to understand how boys really saw her, "Sorry, Charlie. Your mom packed us in here like sardines, eh?"

He tried to reply, but his eyes drifted down to her small smile, her perfect, young, pink lips and his mouth went dry. George said something from across the table and her attention turned towards the twin and Charlie forced himself to look back at his plate, but not before Bill nudged him. "You all right?"

Charlie nodded and attempted a cocky grin as he turned to his older brother, "Fine, why?"

Bill stared at him for a moment before shrugged, "Mom ask you about your love life yet?"

Charlie's face visibly paled, "No, why?"

Bill grinned, "Just wait."

But Charlie didn't have to wait long. Not five minutes later, Mrs. Weasley asked Bill if he had found a girlfriend yet, before turning her attention to Charlie. "Really boys. At least Bill had a girlfriend in school, but Charlie! Even Jack has had a girlfriend -"

"Mum!" Percy sounded indignant and everyone turned towards the bespectacled redhead, surprised by his outburst. "Leave non-Weasleys out of this!"

Jack smiled gratefully at Percy, "It's all right, Perce. Cymbelia and I are friends, so it's fine."

Mrs. Weasley blushed, "I'm sorry, Jack, no one seems to tell me anything anymore. What about you, Adelaide? Neil? Any girlfriends or boyfriends?"

Adelaide tried not to look horrified, her pale grey eyes revealing her horror and embarrassment, "Ah, no, I'm much, much too busy with Quidditch and all my courses and the like, you know."

Mrs. Diggory waved a hand, "But I'm sure you're just fending off all the boys at Hogwarts, aren't you?"

The twins grinned wickedly at each other but it was Ron who spoke up, some bits of bread still in his mouth, "Sure she does. Even Slytherins like her."

Bill let out a loud laugh and soon everyone was laughing too, except Adelaide who stared bitterly at her plate. Charlie, seeing her discomfort, patted her leg, but drew his hand away like it was on fire when he accidently grazed her bare thigh. She smiled gratefully at him, but he couldn't meet her eyes and hoped his face weren't as red as Ron's ears currently were.

"What about you, Neil?" Bill tried to lighten the mood, knowing Neil was less likely to get upset or angry than Adelaide.

Adelaide hid her grin, her eyes lifting to meet Jack's whose grin was as big as her own. "Ah, sadly no. Although I'm not as Quidditch-crazy as young Charlie once was nor as dear Wood was not just last term, I simply do not have time. None of the girls at Hogwarts have really caught my eye." He tried not to wince when Adelaide pinched his arm: she wanted him to just come out and tell everyone the truth, but knew he only would when he was ready. This pinch, at least, would remind him what she really thought: tell them _now_.

"And you, Cedric dear? Any girls catch your fancy?"

Fred swallowed his food, "He dated that Cho girl for a while, didn't you, Cedric?"

Charlie watched Cedric's gaze turn to Adelaide's for a moment, "Uh, yea, for a few weeks, but we're just friends."

Mrs. Weasley waved her hand, "All of this 'just friend' nonsense! Charlie, you could do well taking a page from Jack and Cedric's book and finding a girlfriend!"

Charlie let out a nervous laugh, "Right, uh, thanks, mum. When I'm not too busy trying not to get scorched, I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled."

--

Adelaide could not remember any time she had had so much fun in her entire life. The match hadn't even started yet and she was nearly completely filled with enough wonderment and excitement for an entire lifetime. And she wasn't the only one who couldn't stop grinning: the twins and Neil were singing the Irish songs loudly, pretending to be drunk as Cedric, Ginny and Bill laughed and Jack and Percy rolled their eye. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory and Mr. and Mrs. Hayworth were deep in debate over who would win as Ron did his best to explain everything to his friends and Adelaide tried to take her surroundings in. Charlie nudged her as they walked past another booth, "Having fun?"

She grinned up at him, her eyes wide and bright, "More fun than I've ever had!"

Charlie laughed and pushed up his green flannel shirt, his way of showing his support for the Irish, "More fun than –" But he didn't get to finish, because Neil ran in front of her, grabbing her hands as he spun her around, chanting another song that no one could quite understand.

Charlie smiled to himself as he watched Adelaide laughing, her head thrown back as her brother continued to spin her, her short hair fluttering slightly behind her, only to be shaken from his staring when Bill nudged him, a knowing look in his eye. "You should just tell her."

Charlie tried to give his brother a surprised and confused look, but knew Bill wasn't buying it. "I don't know what you mean, William."

"Charles. She's almost 17, you've been good friends for ages and how you're a rugged Dragon Keeper."

Charlie smirked, "I am rugged and brave and dangerous, aren't I?" He laughed as his older brother rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Adelaide who was now talking and laughing with Cedric. "No, Bill, come on, I just haven't seen her in a while, that's all. And besides, she needs someone her own age."

Bill followed Charlie's gaze, "Cedric too, huh?"

Charlie nodded at his brother only to run into Adelaide who had stopped abruptly in front of him, "What –" And that's when he saw him talking to the twins in front of Cedric and Adelaide. He looked down at Adelaide, her hand gripping Cedric's arm, her other hand limp at her side and instinctively he took it, threading his fingers with hers.

"Wood," he said coldly, his voice nearly booming, unaware of her shiver as he was worked up with his own anger.

He watched, pleased as Oliver swallowed hard. "Hullo, Charlie, didn't expect to see you here."

Charlie cocked a menacing eyebrow and unknowingly flexing his arm – but Charlie (and Bill) noticed, his eyes following the muscles up to his strong, broad shoulders and his clenched jaw. "Right. Would love to stay and chat, but we need to find our seats," he jerked his head to his siblings, Cedric and the Hayworths, "come on." He tugged on Adelaide's arm as everyone followed, leaving a scared and confused Oliver behind.

"You all right?" He asked when they were out of earshot.

She tried to pull her hand away but he held fast, making her sigh. "I'm fine, really."

Charlie nodded, not entirely convinced but not getting to reassure her because the adults were ushering them to their seats.

--

It was over too soon. It felt like they were skipping and laughing out of the stadium only minutes after they had sat down. Adelaide was laughing as Jack and Cedric were reenacting Krum and the Irish Seeker "who _never_ stood a chance" as they walked back to the tents. The triplets, Cedric, Bill and Charlie all sat around the fire as everyone else got ready for bed.

Adelaide turned to Bill, "Are you as worried as I am that the twins were 'exhausted'?"

Bill rubbed his face, "Was trying to ignore that, thanks."

They sat around the fire for a little while talking quietly so as not to wake the others and eventually Jack and Neil went off to sleep. Cedric, however, squeezed Adelaide's shoulder and gave her a look; Charlie, feeling awkward, as though he was intruding, turned towards Bill. Cedric didn't need to say anything, however, before Adelaide smiled slightly, "I'm all right, Ceddie. You _sure_ you didn't hurt him?"

Charlie couldn't hear the response and only heard the tent zip shut behind him. Adelaide shivered slightly and scooted herself closer to him and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. His eyes caught Bill's and he tried not to glare at his older brother's smirk. With a fake yawn and stretch he stood to pat the tops of their heads before he too climbed into the tent.

"Guess it was a longer day than I realize," she said quietly, a smile evident in her voice.

Charlie chuckled, "Long and _fun_," he corrected. He wondered briefly if she was feeling the same heat, the same tingling, the same tension that he was, but he tried not to. She wasn't and neither should he; the last thing he wanted to be around her was awkward.

"We should have slept outside more."

Charlie started out of his thoughts, "Sorry?"

She laughed, "As kids, Charlie. We should have camped out in the field or by the lake."

"Hmm," he agreed.

"But I guess you camp all the time, don't you?"

Charlie laughed, "I wouldn't call it _camping_, Addie. We have hardwood floors and our own kitchens and bathrooms," he pulled her towards him again and laughed as he looked back up at the night sky. "But we can see more stars than _this_, that's for sure."

Adelaide could only smile at this as she turned her gaze to the stars, contented to just sit quietly with Charlie, to elongate their short time together: he'd have to return to Romania soon. She opened her mouth slightly, wanting to ask him if he had been afraid to turn of age, if he had been anxious to graduate when there was a single, high-pitched scream.

And then, right in the center of their gaze was a symbol that Adelaide had only ever heard of, hadn't even seen pictures of it in a book, yet she knew immediately what it was. Her blood ran cold.

--

Charlie was up in an instant, gripping her arm tightly as the sky continued to fill with screams and a sickly green glow from the Mark. "Get your wand out," he said hoarsely, "wake up your mom and the girls." But her feet were rooted in place, her mouth open and her eyes wide. Charlie grabbed her shoulders and brought his face close to hers, his blue-green eyes hard to read in the dark, "You can do this Adelaide, you _have_ to."

She nodded her head, shaken from her stupor, the gravity of the situation finally hitting her as she ran the few feet to the girls' tent, pulling her wand from the back pocket of her jeans. "Mum! Ginny! Hermione! Wake up!"

Sara nearly leaped out of bed, still in her day clothes and hurried past her daughter, frightful by the look of panic in her daughter's eyes, the note of fear in her voice. Hermione and Ginny sat up slowly but Adelaide said quickly, "Dark Mark! Come on!" and the sound of a not-so-far-off scream made them jump out of bed.

Adelaide looked around at the scared, confused, panicked and grim faces of her extended family. What scared her most was that no one seemed to know what was going on.

Raymond turned towards the underaged wizards, "Go to the Portkey – _keep together_ and if you're in danger, _use your wands_, forget the Law."

Mr. Weasley nodded to Charlie, Bill and Percy, "You three come with us, we'll see what's going on." He turned to the twins, "Keep your eyes on Ginny – _and_ Ron," he looked at the triplets, "all of you stay safe."

Cedric looked at his father, his wand tight in his fist, "I'm coming too."

Amos' face paled, "You will _stay_ with the others, do you understand?"

"But, father, I –"

There was another cacophony of screams and Adelaide pulled on his arm, "Cedric, come on." He reluctantly let her drag him off, but not five feet later she was stopped by Charlie, a look of anguish and another emotion she could not place, on his face, his eyes boring into hers as he gently tucked some loose hair behind her ear. He didn't say anything; he didn't need to. His eyes said it all: _be careful_. And without a second glance, he disappeared into the forest.

--

She tried to keep her head clear as they raced quietly through the dark forest, listening for other people, screams, anything. Cedric was beside her, Jack and Neil were leading, the twins and Ginny, Harry, Hermione and Ron in the middle of their pack. Her heart was beating loudly but she tried to keep level-headed, tried not to think about the dangers, the implications that they had just witnessed the _Dark Mark_ and were now running blindly through the forest. She stole a glance at Cedric but she could only make out his silhouette as he ran, his wand gripped tightly in his hand, his face staring straight ahead.

Suddenly they had caught up to Neil, Jack, Ginny, Fred and George in a small clearing, all catching their breath and scanning the forest. "Where's Ron?" Ginny looked at Cedric and Adelaide.

They looked at each other, "They were in front of us – they – we never passed them they –"

Neil grimaced, "They probably ran off."

"Those bloody prats!" George clenched his fist.

"We have to look for them –" Cedric started but it was Ginny who cut him off.

She stood to her full height in front of them, "No. You heard our parents. We stay together. We go to the meeting place. They'll meet us there."

"But –"

Ginny's brown eyes flashed, "No. Now come on. We're almost there."

Adelaide and Cedric paced around the meeting place, watching for intruders and hoping to see Ron and his friends. Adelaide could hear Cedric muttering to himself, knew he was blaming himself for what happened. She lightly took his hand, not wanting to scare him, "Cedric, come on, it's not your fault. They'll be _fine_."

Cedric shook his head, not meeting her eyes, but squeezing her hand in gratitude.

And of course they _were_ fine: they arrived moments later unscathed, but before they could yell or hug them, the "adults" emerged from the forest, breathing hard and sweating. Amos pulled his only son into a tight hug as Sara and Ray hugged the triplets all at once. Adelaide, seeing Hermione and Harry standing awkwardly to the side, squirmed her way out and wrapped her arms around the pair, squeezing them tight. Hermione's surprised, watery laugh prevented Adelaide from reprimanding them and when she looked out over the younger girl's shoulder she saw Charlie staring at her intensely, his blue-green eyes unblinking and yet unrevealing to his thoughts.

Adelaide couldn't help the peculiar tingle that ran down her spine.

--

Adelaide would have slept straight through dinner but her mother woke her, announcing Charlie's presence. Adelaide groaned and rolled over in her bed when he opened her bedroom door and easily caught the stuffed dragon she threw at him. He laughed, "You _dare_ throw the gift _I_ gave you at me?"

She opened one eye to glare at him, but apparently a single eye was not frightful enough. "What _are_ you doing her so early?"

He laughed again, "It's nearly 2pm and I have to leave soon."

She jumped straight from her bed and into his arms in the blink of an eye, pressing her face into his neck and mumbling, "No, no, no, no!"

He tried to ignore the feel of her hot breath on his skin, her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, her legs around his waist, his arms tight around _her_ curves, and thought quickly of his Aunt Muriel. "Going to miss me?"

She lifted up her head to glare at him, her face centimeters from his, "Nu-uh."

Charlie chuckled, "Well, I have a feeling you'll be seeing me soon enough."

Her grin lit up her entire face, and Charlie, although captivated by her eyes, stole a quick glance at her smiling mouth. "Are you coming home for Christmas?"

He smiled, "I should be, yea."

In her excitement, Adelaide kissed his cheek quickly, still grinning and then jumped from his arms, "When are you leaving? Can I get changed?"

He frowned, "Now, actually. I came to say goodbye to you last."

Adelaide couldn't help but frown too, although she wanted Charlie to be excited when he left knowing that he _should_ be excited. "Well, I wish you came and saw me earlier, but we'll see each other at Christmas! And you'll be back with your dragons and –" she frowned and wrapped her arms around his middle, "I was _just_ getting used to you being back."

He kissed the top of her head, "Me too, Addie." He tugged her hair, "Have fun at school," he pulled away so he could look into her eyes, "if someone pulls another Oliver on you –"

Adelaide let out a disbelieving chuckle, "Please, Charlie, that was clearly a one-time thing. The boys at Hogwarts don't realize I'm a girl."

Charlie shook his head and kissed her cheek lightly, letting his lips linger for a second more than was necessary. "Just be careful and have fun." With a sad smile, he walked out of her room, looking back once to smile and wave one last time and leaving Adelaide to wonder if she would actually see him at Christmas.

--

A/N: SO SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY!! Reality has kinda taken priority…but I am still writing! Although, I'm contemplating skipping 7th year so Adelaide can be in the real world, but don't worry! They'll be flashbacks and dreams, etc so you'll know what went down. But her post-Hogwarts life is going to be grim. And dark. And quite possibly rated 'M' for alcohol, etc. but I'm not too sure yet. And no, Fred and Cedric _ARE NOT_ going to die. I just can't do that to them!!

PLEASE REVIEW!!

Xoxoxo

Tate


	12. For the Greater Good

A/N: Sorry this is taking so long…I know people are reading/subscribing to this story or are at least glancing at the page, but please, please review!! I would really appreciate feedback!! And this chapter is going to be a bit darker, but nothing so much where I need to change the rating….

--

_**Post-Hogwarts, the First Year:  
The Greater Good**_

She opened her eyes slowly, taking in her grey, depressing surroundings as the fog from her mind cleared: her flat. Time to wake up. Time for work. She closed her eyes again quickly, unwilling to let any tears drop. She _couldn't_ cry. She _wouldn't_ cry. This was her life now. There was nothing she could do about it.

The greater good.

She wiped furiously at her eyes as she sat up and yanked open the curtains, her mouth in a tight grimace as she stared out the small window. She could barely see the buildings across the street through the dense, grey fog; not that she would have been able to tell anyway. The buildings, the street, the people, the sky, they were all grey.

The greater good.

That had been her mantra for months now, what kept her going, what made her attempt to convince herself this was all worth it. She was doing it for _them_, for her family, her friends, the wizards and Muggles who wanted nothing to do with all this evil.

The greater good.

That was, of course, if her family and friends still loved her, still cared about her, would forgive her. She swung her legs off her small bed to the cold floor. She couldn't think like that. They had to understand it was all an act, all for show, all to protect them, for the greater good. But they didn't, of course. That was the whole point. They had to buy the act, had to believe she hated them all, had disappeared.

She took a ragged breath and stood to walk the two feet to her small, depressing, Muggle kitchen. She flicked her hand to wandlessly make herself coffee (she had long given up on tea: it wasn't nearly strong enough) before staring at the half empty bottle of firewhiskey, Was it too early for a stiff drink? For most people, no, considering it was 8pm. But she was _just_ waking up, _just_ getting ready for the daily grind.

She ran her hands down her face: had it really come to this? Had she really come to this? She took another breath and straightening out her back, took a long sip of coffee. No. It hadn't come to that, getting drunk before work. She was strong, she was tough and she was going to get herself through this. And hadn't Remus reminded her everytime she saw him that she had to stay strong, keep her wits, or she would start to go crazy?

Her mouth twitched, a rare smile forming on her lips: it was a tough, scary job, and only _she_ could do it.

--

She didn't bother to look at herself in the mirror as she showered quickly, brushed her teeth and got dressed: she knew what she would look like. Pale, sallow, sad, deep-set, blank, grey eyes that looked haunted now, and drab, mousy-brown hair. She tried not to think about the travesty that was now her hair. She didn't have to dye it, but she was less likely to be noticed, even in the early hours or of the morning or late hours of the night if she didn't have her blonde hair and her fiery grey eyes. She tugged on a dull blue sweater. At least, that's how the _Daily Prophet_ had described her. "Adelaide Hayworth, one third of the famed Wizarding Triplets, top of her class, Potions Master, excellent Chaser, has publicly severed all ties with former Triwizard Tournament Co-Champion, Cedric Diggory, her neighbors, the Weasleys, strong supporters of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore and her own family. When questioned, the blonde's feisty pale grey eyes bore into this reporter like a wooden stake through a vampire's heart."

And then, of course, there were the numerous articles accusing Cedric and Harry of lying, reports of Adelaide's very public tirade against them, of her very public break-up with Cedric, of her failure to make any Quidditch teams and her subsequent disappearance. But this, of course, Adelaide could not think about without a flurry of emotions, something which she could not handle right before work. Or ever.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tugging on her Muggle wool hat and coat she stuffed her robes and wand into her bag and walked out her door, nearly running into one of her neighbors.

"Oh, hullo, Emmeline," the older man flashed her a toothy smile, "you really need to get a job with better hours."

She attempted a smile, "It's not all that bad, Mr. Young." She waved and continued towards the stairs.

She tugged her hat lower as she stepped out into the cold, November night. She still wasn't used to being called Emmeline Danvers by her Muggle neighbors, but it was just another precaution.

For the greater good.

No one but the other Unspeakables, Remus, Severus and Dumbledore knew she worked in the Department of Mysteries, and probably not all of the Unspeakables even knew. And only Dumbledore knew where she lived. It had been at _his_ insistence that she take a flat in an obscure Muggle neighborhood with a different name: she couldn't let her family, friends or potential enemies looking her up for a visit. She had to lay low, like the other Unspeakables; but unlike the others, she had _more_ at stake to hide and protect.

--

It had been terrifying at first to walk to and from the Ministry in the dark, but Adelaide always felt the most fearful _in_ the Ministry. She knew there were guards, knew that only a few Unspeakables and guards were there when she was, but the Ministry was such a large, dark place and now there were dark people probably lurking in every corner. And despite her public tantrum, her intense questionings, she _knew_ there were those who were bound to keep an eye on her, some that were bound to suspect that she _did_ believe Cedric, Harry and Dumbledore. But now? Now she walked through the cold, dark, atrium with her usual confidence, her hand gripping her wand, her sense on overdrive: she wasn't _afraid_ anymore, she had made herself too numb to feel fear, but she was still on alert.

Her stomach dropped as she rode the elevator to the basement and stepped into an empty room where she dropped her bag, taking out her large book and quill, ready to being another day of research, thankful that she was working on this project alone. As she stepped through another door, she smiled. Tomorrow was Saturday. Tomorrow she was to have drinks with Remus.

--

Remus was the only tie to her "old" life and he knew this. Dumbledore hadn't told him to have dinner with her once every two weeks on random days in random pubs, but he could tell how much they meant to her, how her face would break into such a large grin that for a few moments she looked like her old self. Dumbledore had only told him to keep in contact, to retrieve _any_ information she might have. And Remus had been more than happy to at first. But when he saw how hard she tried to keep a strong face on, to claim that she was fine, to see the true cost Dumbledore's request for her had taken, he nearly ripped the old man's head off. He would never tell Harry this, but _she_ was sacrificing more than any of them were, more than any of them could imagine: her family, her friends, her boyfriend, her happiness, her sanity, all for a cause that she had gotten roped into. And although he hated to think so, the others might never forgive her.

He pulled his cloak tightly around him as he waited on the bench outside the seedy Muggle pub, watching for her. He saw a lone figure in a long, grey coat and a navy hat and he attempted a smile: she looked almost as drab and bad as he did and she knew it. He pulled her into a tight hug, waiting for her to stop being so stiff, something that happened every time he saw her: her only physical, human contact these days was with him and so she was no longer used to being hugged.

Another sacrifice.

After a few moments her arms made their way around his waist and he smiled. "We're quite a pair, aren't we?" His usual greeting.

"Hullo, Remus," her eyes crinkled slightly, the life slowly coming back into them.

He guided her into the bar and they sat down at a table in the corner and he ordered them both a plate of fish and chips, worried she wouldn't eat otherwise and two waters. She frowned at him, "I'm not going to get drunk. Can't we have one pint?"

He eyed her carefully and relented, fearing that if she didn't drink with him she'd drink by herself later. "How are you?"

She waved a hand and took a large gulp of the pint that had been set before her, "I'm _fine_, Remus," she lowered her voice, "but remember what I told you last time?" He nodded, his grey-amber eyes growing wider. "I don't know _what_ they are searching for, but I'm going to start wandering around at night, keep an eye on –"

"No." His voice was as hard and stern as she had every heard it. "_You_ will do no such thing until Dumbl-"

"Until Dumbledore what?" She snapped, "Until he contacts me, _he_ tells me what to do?" Her eyes were blazing, "No. I'm not allowed to speak with anyone, remember? I'll do what I think is necessary and _this_ is necessary."

He eyed her warily as she took another long gulp of beer. "Fine," he agreed, "you're right. But in two weeks time, he'll be sending others."

She shrugged, "So, I'll get to hide while at the office," she mumbled.

Remus frowned, "Should we talk about something else?"

She shook her head, clinking her now-empty glass with the lone silver ring she wore on her right hand, the last gift she had gotten from her family before she disappeared. "What's going on on the outside? Is everyone worried?"

Remus frowned at the way she had phrased her questions, as though she were in prison. "There haven't been many things to follow-up on or any hiccups on their part - they're probably pleased that the paper has been discrediting them." He was thankful when their food was set before them. "But we've been on our toes, watching everything, not taking any chances." He took a bite. "How is your research going?"

She cocked an eyebrow, "Remus," she warned, "you know I can't discuss my work with anyone."

He nodded and let out a sigh when she flagged the waiter for another pint. "I just don't want you to go to crazy, you know. You should get out more -"

She let out a tense laugh, "Says the werewolf," she said lowly, "and when should I go out? During the day? Walk around Diagon? Go to the beach?"

"Percy told them you're in Belgium on a research grant."

She glared at him, "Percy's talked to them?"

"He ran into Arthur at work, he had to. He wasn't in the public eye as much - he works for the MInister, Adelaide, you know -"

"I know. I know." She let out a ragged breath, "It's just - they've stopped writing."

Remus reached across the table to take her hand his heart breaking when she flinched at his touch. "They'll forgive you, you know."

She let out a watery chuckle, "Neil, sure, Jack probably, my parents will understand, but everyone else?" She shook her head, "I can't get my hopes up, Remus."

Remus understood too well. He understood to a degree what she was going through, but he chose to stay alone, to keep out of society, but she had been asked to do this, this hadn't been her own decision.

"How's Sirius?"

He looked up at her to see her picking at her plate: she had lost some weight during these few months and he knew she missed flying, missed being outside. "He wants to help out in the Order. He's getting antsy and moody." He looked at her hopefully, "Maybe once it starts snowing - we could all go far away somewhere and play outside -"

"Remus -"

He nodded, knowing why she was interrupting, "He won't tell anyone, Adelaide."

She shrugged, "Maybe."

--

He didn't need to walk her home, she wasn't completely sloshed, but he wasn't taking any chances, knowing she was vulnerable thinking about the not-so-distance past, what could be and her overall depression. She had relented, but when he reached to take her hand or to wrap his arm around her, she pulled away, putting some distance between them as they walked to her building. She stopped them at what he knew was a nearby corner. "I can take it from here, Remus."

He winced at the coldness of her voice. "You know I'd come see you more, I'd -"

She emitted a hollow laugh, "I'm fine, Remus, really. Or at least, I will soon. I just - I just wish I could do more." She touched his arm lightly, her blank, grey eyes meeting his for only a moment, "I'll see you soon." And then she was walking around the corner without a sound, her shoes barely making any noise on the damp cement.

Her hand instinctively gripped her wand hidden in her pocket as she unlocked her door, the wards she had implemented recognizing her and she breathed the same sigh of relief she did everyday when she got home.

Home. The thought nibbled at her brain but she attempted to ignore it. Emotionally exhausted, she quickly brushed her teeth, shuddering to the thought of waking up with the taste of beer in her mouth. She thought about the bottle of dreamless draught in the drawer of her bedside table and she realized she was looking in the mirror. Shaking her head and trying to erase her own dull reflection from her mind, she looked back down into the sink. Tonight, of all nights, would be a good night to use it...

**

"But, sir, I can even brew it myself -"

"I do not question your abilities, Ms. Hayworth, but the draught can be very addicting - those who have become dependent have gotten nightmares if they forget one night, during naps, some have even hallucinated while awake." His black eyes stared at her for a moment and she knew she wasn't imagining the look of concern in his otherwise cold eyes. "Many Unspeakables," he began, but she nodded, trying to stay calm.

"But, Professor, how do you do it? I mean, deal with the pain, the sacrifice - if I dream about things and then I can't stop thinking about them when I wake up -"

The older man sighed and leaned back in his chair, his face barely visible in the dimness of the candlelight. "You are very lucky to have so many that love and care about you," he hesitated, "the pain never really goes away." He stared off over her shoulder for a moment before standing with the typical swish of his robes. "Here are the ingredients. You deserve at least one bottle." He handed her a few bottles and a small box.

**

It had been the last time she would see him, the last few moments she was in the castle before she was on the train back home, before she had to publicly defy her family and friends. She looked back up into the mirror, disgusted by the emptiness she saw in her eyes.

For the greater good.

--

***

_And then a bright light, her eyes blinking open and a coldness swept over her, her teeth starting to clatter uncontrollably. And then strong arms wrapped around her, but they were cold too. She was vaguely aware that she was standing, muffled voices were shouting around her and she looked up to see those familiar, comforting hazel eyes and suddenly everything snapped into focus. _

_"Ce-Ced-Cedric?"_

_He smiled at her clattering teeth and nodding to someone behind her, wrapped a very warm and very heavy blanket around her, "You were part of the Second Task," he grinned, his lips slightly purple as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "You want to sit down?"_

_She shrugged to nod and he guided her towards a bench, pulling her gently on to his lap as she tried to nuzzle into him completely, relaxing into him, her cheek against his chest, his head on top of hers. _

_And despite the cold, she was entirely at peace._

***

She woke with a start, sitting up in her bed, breathing heavily. She tried to prevent the tears from falling, willed her heart to beat evenly, but it was useless. It had felt too real, had been too much like a memory. She groaned.

It had been a memory. That was the first time they had kissed. In front of the whole school - three schools to be exact - in front of judges, in front of their friends - thankfully very few had noticed since Harry Potter had chosen that moment to emerge from the lake with two people in tow. It had been perfect, or at least she thought it was perfect, despite the cold, despite that it was Cedric. She smiled slightly as she laid back down, staring at the wall as she remembered when they had finally pulled apart, breathless and wide-eyed, both trying to play it off when Neil had come over, rescuing them from awkwardness: Skeeter wanted an interview and Cedric, his face paling, slipped away to hide from the reporter.

They didn't speak about the kiss for a few days, the most awkward and odd days of her life at Hogwarts when Cedric finally approached her and without saying a word, dragged her to an empty corridor. She had waited, nervous until with a deep breath and confessed his true feelings, feelings that he had been trying to hide, trying to understand, trying to sort out. And with a nervous laugh she had grabbed the front of his robes and slanted her lips over his, trying not to giggle at his shocked reaction.

Her eyes flitted to the sun peeking through her windows and she pulled her blanket up around her chest and with a sigh, she resigned to reminisce to fall asleep again. She remembered the morning when she woke up feeling safe, warm and content in his arms, her body pressed tightly against his on the couch of the Head Boy's dorm. She watched him sleep, smiling to herself as she traced his lips and his jaw lightly with her fingers, waiting for him to wake up. She admired his hard abs, his strong arms and jaw, his light, soft hair and when he slowly opened his eyes and smiled, she admired the warmth and kindness in his eyes, the true happiness in his smile.

They rarely fought now that they were virtually dating: they only had a few months left at school and they wanted to savor these last carefree days at school. Although they had been rarely carefree what with NEWTS and the tournament. But they were happy. She had never felt so beautiful and content and comfortable in her young life: someone wanted her despite her tomboy-ishness, her Quidditch poweress, her intimidating intelligence and personality, her overall "plainness": Callum and Oliver be damned, someone adored her.

And she finally drifted off into a deep sleep, dreaming of Cedric's arms tight around her as they watched the stars, of his lips against hers...

--

Nearly Christmas. She planned on hibernating for a few days so as not to think about what she could be doing instead. But first, she had to finish up at work, had to keep an eye out for odd behavior and now had to watch for Order Members who were "guarding" the Department of Mysteries. She did not envy Percy at all: it must have been 30,000x harder when he ran the risk of running into family members to keep the act up.

A few days before the holidays, however, as Adelaide was walking home at 7am, she saw a tall, sandy-haired man standing at a corner with a very large collarless black dog. And before she could stop herself, she let out a watery laugh.

Remus beamed when he heard the true laugh and watched the young girl run over to them. He laughed when she threw herself at him, burying her wet face into his neck as the dog barked. Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the top of his head, getting her face licked in return. Remus smiled as she wiped her eyes, "We can entertain ourselves if you want to nap first."

She shook her head vigorously, "There's time for sleep later."

Remus Apparated them to an open, snowy field lined with an expansive forest, but he wouldn't tell her where they were. She stood, taking in the landscape and the sky when Sirius jumped, putting his front paws on her chest and effectively knocking her over into the snow. She laughed, trying to push the large dog off her as he licked her face, barking up to Remus every few moments. She finally gave up and laid still, still laughing at his antics. She closed her eyes for a moment but felt him take her hand lightly in his mouth and giggling, stood up.

She eyed him, lowering herself slowly into a runner's position, wondering if he knew what she was doing. He did, of course and took off after her almost immediately as she ran around in circles, laughing and grinning, her long hair floating behind her as her hat flew off. She circled up to Remus to jump on his back, but Sirius got there first causing the werewolf to stumble slightly before regaining his balance. His amber eyes twinkled as Adelaide stood with her hands on her thighs, laughing in between pants. "This," she laughed, "is the most fun," she took a gasping breath, "I've had in ages."

She dragged Remus into the woods, "Can we go for a walk? Living in London means not much time in nature, among green, living thins and other animals aside from humans." He agreed and they walked towards the large line of snow-covered evergreen trees, the large, black dog running ahead of them only to run back to urge them forward.

"He doesn't get out much either. And there's not much company for him, not too many friends." Her heart broke slightly as she watched the dog happily chase a squirrel.

"Will he want to talk later? Actual conversation? Will he want to hear about Harry or anything?"

Her companion's face was unreadable although his amber eyes were hard, "I don't know. He doesn't always want to talk with me. But you can ask him - maybe he won't get mad at you like he does with me."

She looked back at the dog and felt guilty for always being so hard and harsh with her former professor. It wasn't exactly his fault that Sirius was stuck in hiding and she could tell it hurt him to have his best and oldest friend so angry and distant. Sirius waited for them to catch up, panting hard, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Want to sit?" He laid down, Adelaide falling gracefully beside him. "Want to hear about your godson?"

She was caught momentarily off-guard as the dog's stormy blue-grey eyes stared unblinkingly into hers and with quick clear of her throat and 'Accio!' of her hat, she began to tell Sirius about Harry's 4th year; or the parts that she knew at least.

"He handled it very well, the staring and the anger and accusations; he refused to argue with anyone about it, knew it wasn't worth it," she smiled slightly, "and after I knocked some sense into Ron and Cedric, they helped him out, defending him and stuff. And as soon as he found out about the first task, he told Cedric. Was really good of him - since the others knew, didn't want Cedric to be at a disadvantage. Harry didn't want to win. Anyone who watched him could tell, he just wanted to survive it. But he was brilliant. Oh, Sirius, he was just wonderful. With all the tasks. And for a 14 year-old to be competing such tough magic," she sighed, "I rooted for him. I think we all were really. Not everyone was as vocal about it of course, but." She was petting his ears absently and didn't notice that he was staring intently at her face. She let out an airy laugh, "And the poor kid at the Yule Ball! You could tell he didn't want to dance in front of everyone - Merlin, I wouldn't have wanted to either," she glanced down and laughed at his slightly cocked head. "Well, I needed to prove to all the disbelievers that I could wear a dress and that I could dance well - enough." She laughed again as he put his head back on her lap. "But poor Ginny desperately wanted to go with him. When that boy opens his eyes and ends that ridiculous crush on that silly Cho Chang, he'll see how grown-up and gorgeous and wonderful Ginny is and he'll realize how much he needs her," she laughed again. "And the Second Task of course he was just as brilliant, helping out Fleur, using Gillyweed. And the Final Task," her breath hitched despite her efforts to keep her voice steady. She took a deep breath, ready to continue when she felt a hand on her arm.

Looking up to her left she was shocked to see the same stormy blue-grey eyes staring at her from eye level. "Sirius?"

He smiled and Adelaide couldn't help but admire his features: he looked nothing like his 'WANTED' posters. He had high, noble cheekbones and a strong jaw, blazing and intense eyes and long, dark hair. When he spoke Adelaide's eyes flitted briefly to his lips trying to be disgusted by his cocky smile but failing miserably.

The man just exuded sexiness. "Thank you, Adelaide. That was really nice of you, I know it must be," he paused, "you don't have to continue if you don't want."

She nodded sadly, tearing her eyes away from his to see Remus leaning against a tree further down the path. "Sirius. He cares for you, you know. He hates to see you cooped up like that." She turned back to see Sirius looking at his hands. She pressed her arm against his for warmth. "At least you have someone."

The next thing she knew she was sandwiched between two, large bodies, one arm slung around her shoulder and another hand shoving a sandwich into her hands. "Eat," Remus instructed, smiling down at her. She looked to her other side to watch Sirius munch happily.

"You know what I would have done," Sirius swallowed when Remus rolled his eyes, "if they had allowed it, of course. I would have written letters." He continued at the others' confused looks. "You know, written letters to everyone, pretend I was corresponding, but just not send them of course."

Remus nodded, "That's not a bad idea. You could do that, Adelaide. Write letters and just stick them in a drawer or something."

She eyed the pair warily, "Wait, are you two okay now? Was that all it took? For me to say something?"

Sirius shrugged, "I can be a moody prat. I need to start blaming Dumby more, not poor Mooney."

Adelaide laughed and bit into her sandwich, "Well, that sure was a lot easier than what I would do with -" she trailed off, staring down at the sandwich she was unconsciously squeezing.

"Did Mooney here ever tell you stories of what we used to do at Hogwarts? The pranks we used to pull?" His grey-blue eyes danced and he smiled at her: she, like most women she assumed, was totally entranced by his eyes and mouth that she completely forgot about her friends. She shook her head and Sirius began to spin tales of debauchery, bravery and fun at Hogwarts.

Remus smiled, adding his two cents every so often but happy to see that his oldest and newest friends were no longer thinking about their current situations or former lives. A little while later he tapped Sirius's knee, nodding to the girl sitting in between them: Sirius had been so caught up in his reminiscing that he hadn't notice Adelaide had fallen asleep on his arm.

Sirius looked up at his friend, his eyebrows raised slightly before breaking into a smile, "Now I understand why everyone was so upset this summer."

Remus let out a sigh, "They all love her."

Sirius looked back down at the sleeping girl and lightly brushed some hair from her face, "I can't believe he made her do this."

Remus watched his friend tenderly touch her cheek, waited for more hateful words about their former Headmaster, but when none came and said softly, "You know he didn't force her to do anything, Sirius."

He braced himself, waiting for an outburst, but was pleasantly surprised when instead he leaned his head back against the snow bank, "Course not. Dumbledore doesn't force anyoen to do anything." He let out a defeated sigh, his grey-blue eyes meeting Remus's amber ones. "Still mate, the only time you get out to go to pubs or go on dates is with her."

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend's nonverbal suggestions, "Sirius," he warned.

Sirius laughed, "You're the only one who can go see her, I know, Mooney! She's no longer your student! And did you see how happy -" he shook his head, "can't I want to live vicariously through you?" Remus chose not to respond so Sirius continued, "Still though, she looks like hell, not that we all don't," he chuckled and watched her sleeping, peaceful face, "she is pretty though, twins were right. Does look like her brothers too." He looked back up, his head cocked slightly to the side much like a dog. "Diggory said she had blonde hair."

Remus frowned, "Darker blonde - she dyed it shortly after she left so she could blend in."

Sirius frowned, fingering the tips of her hair, "Pity. She shouldn't blend in." He continued to watch her sleep and Remus again felt bad for his friend who had not known a woman's touch, nor a hug other than Mrs. Weasley, in decades. Remus had tried to invite Mrs. Hayworth even, hoping Sirius would recognize her from school, but the woman was far too busy at St. Mungo's. The only women Sirius got to see now were Mrs. Weasley and occasionally his cousin Tonks, Ginny and Hermione; Adelaide was the first woman who wasn't too matronly, too related or too illegal. Remus knew Sirius wouldn't try anything with Adelaide, but he couldn't deny Sirius the comfort of the sleeping girl who had more in common with him, than anyone else.

Sirius chuckled to himself and looked up at Remus, knowing exactly what Remus was thinking, "Look at me. In my 30s, looking like shit, moping around and now hoping that this beautiful, brilliant, broken girl will wake up and smile at me like she did before, like we have known each other for ages." He chuckled again, the hollow sound harsh in the silent woods.

Remus shrugged, "She's easy to care for."

--

Adelaide didn't want to open her eyes: she hadn't felt this warm, this happy, this nightmare-free in what felt like years. She didn't want to open her eyes, to have to face reality; in her post-sleep haze she couldn't remember where she was or who she was leaning against. But she didn't care. She was warm and she felt safe and if she never opened her eyes perhaps she could stay like this forever. She felt hand gently stroke her hair and she smiled slightly, her eyes still closed and pressing her face against what she presumed to be an arm. She let out a small sigh and opened her eyes slowly, smiling wider when she noticed two blue-grey orbs peering into her face. "Well, hello," Sirius said softly, smiling down at her and her heart skipped a beat. "Enjoy your nap?"

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, still smiling, Sirius's arm still around her shoulder. "I did, yeah," she smiled, "no nightmares."

She watched his smile falter, his eyes lacking any mirth, "Oh, Adelaide." She barely heard him, but her breath hitched when she felt his fingers rifling through the long, dead and dry ends of her hair, his hand close to her face and she suddenly felt terribly self-conscious, an emotion she had rarely felt her entire life. She averted her eyes; he wasn't as good as friends as Remus and although until now she had felt comfortable around him, she became suddenly, painfully aware of his handsome, dashing and noble good looks and how painfully boring and young she was in comparison.

He let his arm fall as he leaned back against the bank, looking straight ahead of him and he let out a hollow laugh, trying to break the awkward tension that now enveloped them. "You must be terribly bored of being around old geezers like me and Mooney."

A laugh escaped her lips and she covered it quickly but soon she was laughing uncontrollably, the absurdity of the entire situation, the unfairness of Sirius's life, her sacrifices, her sudden desire to be pretty, caused her to lose control and laugh. Really, truly laugh.

Sirius watched, utterly confused and could only shrug when Remus returned: Adelaide looked up, sputtered, "You two - old!" And fell into another fit of laughter.

Remus cocked an eyebrow, "Are you saying we are old?"

She shook her head, "Dumbledore old. McGonagall, Moody," she fell to her side onto the snow, laughing again.

Remus and Sirius, although still not entirely sure what was so funny, began to laugh too, happy to see the young girl smiling again.

--

She refused to let them walk her to her building, reminding them that it would be safer for all of them that way: Remus couldn't disagree. She hugged the large, black dog tightly, kissing the top of his head and laughing when he licked her face. "I do hope I get to see you soon," she whispered, patting his head once more as she stood to face Remus. He smiled sadly at her, his amber eyes conveying his sadness and desire to do more for her. She wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss his cheek, "Thanks, Remus. For everything." She pulled away and tried to smile as he wiped away a stray tear. "Have a happy Christmas." She started to pull away but he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight, warm, safe embrace; letting out a watery laugh, she wrapped her arms around his middle.

"I'll see you in two weeks," he whispered into her hair. "But write me or send a Patronus -"

She nodded, knowing his usual goodbye by heart, "If I need anything, yeah, I know."

She ruffled Sirius's head again as she walked towards her flat, ready to take a dreamless draught and sleep for days.

--

Two days until Christmas. For the greater good.

She threw out the bottle of Firewhiskey only to change her mind the night before the came to clear out the rubbish bins. She might need it.

She had to be extra careful to avoid people at the Ministry: more people were working late trying to finish up projects or deal with the Usual Holiday Rush of Hooligans. And Dumbledore had apparently increased the number of Order watchdogs: she had nearly walked right into someone who was walking along the corridor at midnight.

Tonight, however, she was extremely on edge. She was putting her bag and cloak down when she felt something prickle at her mind briefly and fearing the worst, she gripped her want tightly, glad she was wearing all dark colors. She knew what that prickle meant: someone was attempting to see who was in the vicinity - a general probing. She knew that no one would know she were there, but she worried about who would want to know how many people were down here.

She stayed perfectly still and strained her eyes. She waited but heard nothing. She crept to the door and opened it slightly to peer out when she heard a faint struggle and then a thud. Gripping her wand she raced to the main door and flung it open, staring terrified at the ginger-haired heap on the floor. She flicked her wand and swore when she saw the corridor was now empty. Flicking her wand again, the letter that was always in her pocket in case of an emergency, incinerated and Adelaide knew that her correspondent, the only person she was allowed to write to in case of an emergency, would know exactly what the letter meant.

And two minutes later, Snape stumbled sleepily into Dumbledore's office just as Harry Potter came in claiming Arthur was hurt. The Headmaster nodded solemnly at the boy, "Yes, I do believe he's on his way to St. Mungo's now."

--

Adelaide had no choice but to Apparate herself and Mr. Weasley to St. Mungo's, grateful that Unspeakables could Apparate out of the corridor. But she was wary as she walked to the front desk, Mr. Weasley levitating behind her. "Please, Mum, I found him like this." She was no good at faking accents, but tried her best to imitate her Londoner neighbors.

The woman nodded, "Name?"

She froze, "He had a card in his pocket," using wandless magic she produced a card out of the pocket of her cloak, "Uh, Arthur Weasel?"

The woman's eyes flashed up from her clipboard, "Probably Weasley." She eyed Adelaide, "And your name?"

She didn't skip a beat, "Danvers. Emmaline Denvers."

She didn't want to follow the Healers and Mediwitches into a room, she didn't want to risk running into Mrs. Weasley, for Mr. Weasley to wake up and see her, but she couldn't leave him. So she followed them, taking his hand, whispering that it would be okay and truly hoping everything would be. The Mediwitches were scurring around the room as Adelide rubbed her thumb over the hand of the man who was like a second father to her, a man she hated to have hurt all those months ago. She was looking around the room when she felt the hand she was holding squeeze hers. Fearfully, she slowly turned her head back to see his eyes staring at her face, trying to figure out who she was. She dropped his hand and started to back away.

"Adelaide?" His voice was raspy and quiet but how could she ignore the hurt?

She shook her head vigorously, still backing towards the door, "He's awake!" And ran out the door to the nearest Apparation Point.

--

She whipped open the door of her flat, locked it wandlessly and yanked the top off her single bottle of Firewhiskey, throwing back a gulp without bothering to measure it. She closed her eyes as the liquid burned down her throat and tried not to shudder. He had seen her, had recognized her. What if he told everyone? Would they be mad? Would they be in danger? She glanced at her small kitchen table and she nearly fell into one of the two chairs. Hesitantly, she opened the letter that sat there:

HH

She frowned, pulled on her Muggle jacket, hat, scarf and gloves before Apparating outside the Hog's Head. Without even bothering to look for him, she immediately walked to the bar, "Something, anything."

She hadn't even bothered to look at the bartender, her eyes unfocused, staring at the grimy bar instead. Snape was at her side in an instant, however, his fingers curling tightly around her arm, "No time for this now, Ms. Danvers."

She winced at his icy-deliver, but when she chanced a glance at his face, ready for a sneer of disappointment, she was instead met with a look of pity and understanding. "I'm to take you up to Dumbledore, make sure Umbridge doesn't run into you." His voice was unnervingly soft.

She nodded and followed him out, leaving money for her untouched drink. Had it been light out and had she been here for any other reason, the landscape and the castle would have been beautiful. But as she walked through the gate and through the halls, the memories she had been trying to forget came flooding back.

Defending Harry to Slytherins and Hufflepuffs; berating Ron for being bitter and jealous of Harry; yelling at Charlie for not telling her he had been staying with the dragons for weeks before the first task; laughing when Jack asked Cymbelia to the Yule Ball; pleased when Neil asked Ginny; confused when Milton defended her again in front of Malfoy and a few other Slytherins...

She shook her head and kept her eyes on Snape's ever-billowing robes and watching for Mrs. Norris or other possible lurkers. In no time at all, or so it seemed, they were in the Headmaster's office and with a curt nod, Snape left, leaving a tired and confused Adelaide at the door, a grave-looking Dumbeldore at his desk. "Ms. Hayworth, please do come in." She nodded and approached the desk, wondering if she should start to apologize: she had screwed up, hadn't she? But surely he couldn't blame her in such a state as his?

As though he sensed her inner turmoil he rested his hands on his desk, "Ms. Hayworth, no one blames you for anything - if Arthur does remember seeing you, it is possible he will think it a hallucination. And if not, he will have the good sense to be quiet until he speaks with me." He watched her intently as she nodded, her eyes never moving from the clasped hands on her lap. "You did the right thing," his eyes twinkled slightly when he saw her hands twitch. "But, Ms. Hayworth, I need to know what you saw or if you think anyone saw you."

She shook her head, "They couldn't tell - they tried to reach out but," her eyes flickered up to his, "well, you know, they couldn't." She took a deep breath, "And whoever it was was gone when I went out to see what had happened."

He nodded, "I think Voldemort wants to get into the Hall of Prophecies." She felt that perhaps this was a time to gasp, to feel shocked or surprised, but she wasn't. "You don't seem surprised."

"I doubted the Dark Lord would waste this much time for anything else in the Department. What I mean to say is, he would try to slowly infiltrate other sectors, putting one of his men in the Department, but he seems to want a prophecy right away."

Dumbledore nodded slowly and Adelaide knew she would get no more information out of the Headmaster. "I want you to be on your guard while you are at work. I don't believe your life is in danger, however -"

She nodded, "I understand Professor."

He watched her, "I know this is difficult for you, Ms. Hayworth." She bit her lip to keep from lashing out, her old temper struggling to break free. "I am well aware that both Professors Lupin and Snape have wanted to berate me, but what you are doing, the research you are doing, the knowledge you are gaining, is essential to our cause -"

"But Professor -"

"You can not discuss your work, yes, Ms. Hayworth. Not yet. I would never ask you to do this if I believed anyone else were up to the task."

She stood up abruptly, "Thank you, Professor, but if that is all, I really should be going."

He stood too, his face bewildered for a split second, "You are more than welcome to spend the rest of the night - "

"No, thank you." Her voice was short and curt and with the snap of her heel she had turned and strode out of his office, leaving Dumbeldore completely disconcerted. He looked around his office momentarily before turning towards the dark window.

"What have I done?"

--

She contemplated Apparating to St. Ottery, to stare at the Burrow, her house and the Diggory's, to watch them feast and celebrate the holidays. Without her. Without Percy. And with an injured Arthur. But she knew she shouldn't do that to herself, so instead, she got drunk on Muggle alcohol. Gin. Rum. Vodka. Pint after pint of beer.

When she finally woke from her drunken stupor, she went back to work.

A week after Christmas she was walking into her building at 9 am after a quick dinner of pancakes when Mr. Young nearly ran into her. "Oh, pardon me, Mss Emmaline, but looks like you finally got a letter!"

She stared at him stupidly. "Sorry?"

The elderly man laughed and pointed to her slot.

Her heart beat loudly. She had never received a single piece of Muggle post since she lived here. Who was writing to her? Who knew she even existed?

With shaky fingers she took the letter and nearly ran up to her flat, not even bothering to take her coat off before tearing open the letter.

It was written with a quill. On parchment.

Emmeline –

Neither you nor I are allowed to write or receive letters, but I thought I would throw caution to the wind and attempt to begin a correspondence this way. Remy has told me all about you and your current situation, and from what I've heard from him and everyone else about what you were like in school and well, in better times, I can't help but feel for you. You shouldn't be living your life this way, alone and lonely (for they are two separate things, my dear, which I'm sure you can understand, being top of your year and all). You need to get out more, you need to be _living_, my dear Emmeline. I know you're pretty, I know you're funny and smart and athletic, but darling, you have to get out more. You're much younger than Remy and I – and please, don't try to flatter me – but you need to get out. Wear more colors at least! And I know your brothers, and from what Remy has told me, your hair was such a nice color, but you've let it become lifeless and dull. Don't be like Remy and me, dear. Go shopping – and _yes_, Remy and Genevieve have told me how you don't like to get dressed up or wear make-up and all those girlish things, but please, have fun! Meet new people from your neighborhood! Go to a library!

Emma, dear, I don't mean to hurt your feelings. I thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon together and I know that if our circumstances were different, if I weren't so much older than you (although, age _is_ just a number, isn't it?) we would be great friends (or maybe more? If I were so lucky, of course.) and I know that Remy considers you a dear friend, but Emma (may I call you that?), for us, you need to stop living this dull, meager existence. Remy tells me you have been looking frail. I saw that you can be lively and fun, but every so often, Emma, your eyes looked dead and tired and I know that feeling, I have been dead for more than a decade. And I finally feel alive, although I'm stuck too. But I try to enjoy my life now. And you helped me with that. So now I want to help you. First, I desperately hope to continue writing to you, whether you write back or not. I have heard so much about you, and yet, no one could do you the proper justice. And secondly, I am attaching a small amount of funds.

No. I will not accept it back. I am a rich, old man and Harold doesn't need all of my money anyway, and he surely won't miss this little bit. I know you have a job, but I want you to use this money on new clothes, on new books, on maybe a little bit of make up. I want you to have fun, Emma. I want you to start living again.

And I want you to know that you can write to me about anything and everything. There is not much to say about the past few years of my life, but I will tell you this. Had I ever had a friend like you in school, I could have been as happy as James had been. And I know Remy feels the same way. You are a special girl, Emma. And all those boys, your brothers, your neighbors, and those awful boys from school (I told you I've heard everything), are all very lucky to know you, to have been given the chance to know and care for you.

And once this whole mess is over, if they are prats, don't you worry, Emmeline. I might be an old man, but I'm a rich old man…..

Sincerely,

Sir Blackwood

She stared open-mouthed at the letter and the envelope of crisp Muggle bills. Was he well, serious? She let out a laugh and setting everything down on her tiny kitchen table began to laugh and cry simultaneously.

A new year, new beginnings.

She wrote back to him almost immediately and addressed the envelope the way he had instructed before running downstairs to mail it. With a grin on her face and a renewed spirit she decided to take Sirius' advice and go to town.

--

She maintained a friendly correspondence with Sirius, never making any mention of it to Remus during the drinks and dinners. But he noticed a subtle change in her: her face was less sallow, her hair less dull and lifeless (she even confessed she was contemplating dying it again) and she was wearing younger and more colorful clothes. And she seemed all around happier. Cheery even. When asked, she claimed she was tired of moping around and so she was doing her best to fit into Muggle society.

During their first dinner in February, Adelaide told Remus of her discovery of a Muggle library not far from her flat, of her recent trip to a cheap Muggle theater where she watched a very funny film called, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".

Remus grinned, "And you've been shopping?"

She tried not to blush as she subconsciously tugged at her pale yellow, thin v-neck sweater. "I bought a few things, yes. I was tired of wearing the same old boring things and this nice woman helped me pick out a few things." She let out a chuckle as she cut into her shepard's pie, "I'm not very, well, fashion aware. Don't really know what I should or shouldn't be wearing."

Remus chuckled, afraid that if he spoke his true thoughts, that she could pull off anything with that body, would spill out. Instead, after a moment, he said simply, "Well, I'm glad you're wearing colors."

There was a lull in the conversation, both wanting to mention Arthur and Christmas but knowing that there was no easy way to discuss it. Adelaide knew he had recovered and knew that he hadn't told anyone he had seen her, but neither Remus (nor Sirius) ever mentioned if he had even remembered seeing her. And Remus knew she could not bare to hear about Christmas, about what her family and friends had done without her.

"Sirius wants to know if you've gone out and made friends, had some Muggle interaction."

She tried not to frown, but Remus watched as her eyebrows furrowed. "Um, at the stores and theater and I'm sure I will at the library but -"

Remus took her hand with his, "I understand, Adelaide. He - well, we - worry about you is all. You deserve a more normal life."

She stared at their hands with a small, forced smile, "It's kind of nice blending in with the crowds and the landscape, not being stared at because I'm a triplet or speak out or play Quidditch. It's a nice change being able to be alone, to be ignored," she laughed, "by everyone, I mean. Not just as a girl, but as a person. Blending in and being just like everyone else."

"Adelaide, take it from a man who has been alone and blending in nearly his whole life. It's not nice."

She waved a hang and looked up at him, trying to fool him with her smile. "Want to hear about the movie? It was hilarious."

--

She breathed in his scent: snowy woods, musk and man. She wrapped her arms tighter around him, reveling in the hard planes of his chest and the soft and slow beating of his heart. A light laugh escaped her lips as he nudged his head into her neck, his dark hair tickling her chin. And then he was awake, skimming a hand down her bare arm and bringing his face up to hers, his blue-grey eyes meeting hers, his lips mere centimeters from hers -

She sat up bolt-right, her heart pounding, her lungs gasping for air. Sirius. She had dreamed of Sirius. Dreamed of cuddling and kissing him. She threw herself back on to the bed, covering her face with her hands. She had replaced Cedric with Sirius, now had fantasies of the older man instead of nightmares and memories. She let out a groan.

She was falling for her penpal.

How could she have been so foolish? To find herself falling in love with a man she only met in the flesh once, a man she was merely writing letters to, a man who was only a few years younger than her own mother, a formerly-convicted criminal, someone to be thought dead, a noble pureblood! She had always prided herself in her abilities to be friends with boys: granted, she had never truly realized the significance of this until somehow told her that "boys couldn't be friends with girls" (to which she had swiftly punched the person and informed them otherwise). She only had one silly crush on a "friend" and that had turned out horribly. And Cedric? Well, she never had really had a crush on him, had she? Hadn't they just simultaneously realized that they both liked each other as more than friends? Even now she knew that was rubbish, but still. How could she have found herself in love with Sirius Black?

She groaned again. And of course he wouldn't reciprocate the feelings. And what did it matter? They never saw each other, and when this conflict was all over, once she got her old life back, or once he could leave where ever he was confined, would they even still be friends? He was twice her age! He had slept with tons of women, had loved them and left them! He even told her he had only been in love once in his entire life and it ended spectacularly, with things and hexes thrown about, and the slamming of a door so hard the entire wall nearly crumbled. And what would he see in a scrawny, malnourished, 18-year-old girl?

She had no reason to fancy herself in love with him, no reason to fancy that he liked her too, yet she couldn't help but think about what it would be like to kiss him, to hold him, to have him hold her, to stare into those deep and smoldering eyes...

What had come over her? He was only writing letters to her because he had no one else to write to! But the thought of ending their correspondence ate her up inside. She kept every one of his letters in her bedside table and when she was especially lonely and sad, would read over them again, laughing and gasping at the proper moments...

But she couldn't love him. Wouldn't. They were friends. Pen-pals. Two people in similar boats. Two people who had no one else. This was their little secret.

She tried not to smile and grin every time she found a new letter, but she couldn't help it. He listened (or rather, read) everything she wrote him about school, about her dreams, about her old life, about her anxiety and her fears, and he asked questions, told her it would all work out in the end, and he told her all about his old life, how he worried for Harry, how he was so angry at Dumbledore, and how he couldn't believe he had taken his angry out on Remus. (All in code of course, although the code was slightly ridiculous; this always made Adelaide laugh too). He always assured her that no one would hate her, that they would forgive her right away, that they would understand, but she responded that she couldn't get her hopes up too high and he understood.

And her constant friendship with Sirius made her think about Cedric and Charlie and her brothers and everyone else less and less, to the point that when she did remember those stolen moments with Cedric, her former correspondence with Charlie, she would only smile and a few tears would drop. She wasn't nearly as sad and lonely as she had been. Sirius made her feel for the first time in a long time.

She no longer felt numb.

--

And then it happened. As soon as she walked into the Ministry she knew something was amiss. The guard looked oddly complacent, but she shrugged this off. But when she got off the elevator, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled slightly and she knew she wasn't alone. But she couldn't tell who was there, so as silently as she could, she walked through a nearly hidden door, knowing no one would be able to follow her, and slowly she walked around, listening for anything she could. And that's whens he heard muffled voices, low and menacing. Fearing the worst, she brought her shaking hands to the pocket of her robe and yanked out another blank piece of parchment and with the flick of her wand, sent to Severus, praying that he would get it in time.

She stood silently, barely breathing, hoping to catch words or names, but she couldn't make out anything. Were they going to try to break into the Hall of Prophecies? She knew that only the person who the Prophecy was for could take it off the shelf, so she doubted the person who it was about was there.

And then it hit her. They wanted Harry.

Fearing the worst, she stationed herself near the door of the Hall of Prophecies, still hidden, and waited, hoping that Harry wasn't foolish enough to show up. But then she shook her head. What would make Harry feel the need to show up to the Ministry on a school night, his 5th year. Surely, the idea would never even strike him.

And then she heard it. The voices stopped and she watched as six teens, wands in their hands, nearly run into the Department. But nowhere near the Hall. She watched again as a group of black-hooded figures crept out of a corner and followed them, ready to strike. Breathing hard, still remaining in the hidden corridor where she could see out but no one could see her, she followed, ready to hex whoever tried to hurt those kids, Ron and Ginny among them.

Her heart beat fast, her breathing labored as she prayed Snape or Dumbledore would send reinforcements.

She did her best to hex the figures without letting on to her presence, able to stupefy a few of them, and nearly cried out when the entire wall of time turners shattered, when Ron grappled with the brains. And then they were in the Hall.

And then she knew what she had to do. These Death Eaters could not get their hands on the Prophecy, but she couldn't warn Harry. So she did the only thing she knew she could. She started to hex shelf after shelf of prophecies, still making it seem as though the kids and the Death Eaters were doing the destruction themselves and not her.

And then they were in the Death Room. The worst room they could be in. Her skin went cold. She had only been in here a handful of times and hated every moment of it. There was the eerie veil, the dark steps, the platform, and six kids surrounded by as many Death Eaters. And then with a flash of light. More Death Eaters.

Where were Dumbledore and his Order Members? Where were the other good guys?

And then she was fighting. Still hidden, throwing hexes when she could. No one could know she was there. No one could see her, no one could hear her. She was above them, doing her best to hex through the wood and one-way glass.

And then her head snapped to her left when she heard Harry's anguished cry. She stared at him as he stared at the Veil before advancing on a crazed-looking dark-haired woman who she recognized to be Bellatrix Lestrange. And he was yelling something about "your cousin" and then he uttered a name that made her blood run cold.

Sirius. Was gone. Through the Veil. Vanished. Gone forever.

Dead.

--

A/N: I know this last bit is a wee bit, oh I don't know, awfully written, etc. but I needed Adelaide to be in amongst the fighting without people knowing she was there, etc. Soon she'll be back to her old depressing ways…..or will she???? And I probably won't spend much time writing about Harry's 6th year or what Adelaide does during it….but do you want to know more about her last year at Hogwarts or do you kinda get the picture? She and Cedric DATED!!! :)

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!


	13. Keep On Keepin' On

A/N: Just want to clarify a few things: I don't know that Unspeakables have to cut off all ties from their family, but since Cedric/Harry/her neighbors and good friends were obviously chummy with Dumbledore, they (Dumbledore, Adelaide, etc) did not want to ruin Adelaide's chance at being accepted into the Department. Does this make sense? Also, it was a plot thing.....I hope this clears some stuff up? If not, lemme know!!

_**Post-Hogwarts:**_

_**Keep on, keeping on**_

Keep on keepin on.

Was this Snape's idea of a sick joke? Granted, he didn't know - nor, did anyone know - that she was friendly with Sirius, let alone even knew who he was. And no one knew (for certain) that she had fancied herself nearly in love with him. But still. To write someone a letter to "Keep on keepin on" in light of what had taken place in her workplace?

A cruel, cruel joke. Or at least an awful reminder of what her world had become.

She was to continue to work at the Department, continue to ignore her friends and family, continue to ignore the _Prophet, _ignore Fudge's declaration that yes, The Dark Lord had indeed returned, and yes, Potter, Diggory and Dumbledore hadn't been looney. She had to continue to pretend that she did not exist. She had to continue to pretend that she was fine.

Not that anyone was checking on her. She had not seen Remus since she had watched him fight in the Death Room. She figured he was grieving for his best friend, alone, at the secret location of the Order. But she knew he probably wasn't alone. Wasn't Sirius always going on about how he thought his cousin, Dora?, was smitten with the werewolf?

Now Remus had forgotten her too.

She had hoped that once Fudge had admitted his stupidity, she would start to get letters from her family and friends, begging her to return to England, to admit that she had been foolish. But clearly, they had forgotten her.

Or given up hope.

So she continued to go to work. But her research on space and thought seemed so frivalous in light of the impending war. All of the time turners had been destroyed, all of the prophecies, lost. And here she was, expected to continue her study of space and the history and theory of thought and mind.

So she often found herself standing in the Death Room, watching the constant fluttering of the Veil, despite the lack of breeze. She could find no current or even past studies of the Veil. What was it? Where did it lead to? Why was it here? She had no answers. And she dared not ask anyone. What would be the point? To obsess over someone who was lost forever when she should be researching how to prevent more deaths from occurring.

Who knew how many would die before the Dark Lord would be defeated. How many of her acquaintances, of her colleagues, of her former professors and schoolmates, of her friends, of her family. Sirius's death would be the first but it would surely not be the last.

So she would pry her eyes away from the Veil, and she would try to avoid thinking about the odd fact that there was no written literature about the Veil at all. Nor did she try to think about the cold feeling she always got when she walked into the Death Room. Why anyone felt the need to study Death, she was not sure. But she was determined that one day, once this mess was all over, she would venture back and research the bloody thing, figure out why it was even there, why it was so creepy and seemingly oozed dark magic. She knew it would not be the last she saw of the Veil.

So it was as she was attempting to 'Keep on keepin on' that she finally decided to put an indefinite hold on her current research so she could attempt to create a new batch of time turners. Or, at least, to start with a single time turner. She spent days reading up on time turners and time travel, both magical and Muggle readings; the ridiculous idea that if people travelled too often through time their ages would alter, their brains would fry; she read about the 'grandfather paradox'; read about the alteration of the fabric of time; the devastating effects one could create whilst traveling through time. It was a good idea to travel through time, some argued, while others argued it was a terrible idea that would only cause more problems. But Adelaide herself understood that if used with caution, used wisely, and by a intelligent and unselfish person, a time turner could be terrible useful. So with her hair pinned back and her sleeves rolled up, she finally began her experiments in creating time turners.

From scratch.

--

It was now nearing the end of August and she still had not heard from anyone. Not Remus, not Snape, not Dumbledore, not anyone in her family. No one. She read about Cedric and Neil a few times in the _Prophet_, about the 'hot date' Neil had gone on, about Cedric's more recent and frequent appearances in society after a year of nearly disappearing from the public eye. But it never said exactly what Cedric was doing. The only time the _Prophet_ ever reported seeing him was around the twins' new store.

Adelaide had been livid when she discovered the twins had left school without properly graduating. They knew how important their education was, despite the fact that they were terribly good businessmen. Didn't they know how disappointed she'd be? Didn't they care about their family's disappointment? About hers? She was proud of them, of course, since she knew it was only a matter of time before their dream was achieved, but she would have liked them to properly graduate first. She knew they were both extremely intelligent, knew they did finish their assignments, knew that there were certain subjects they had enjoyed. And yet, she couldn't entirely blame them. That Umbridge woman had been terrible and had made it extremely difficult for them and everyone else to survive the school year.

She had wanted to berate them at first. Then she wanted to congratulate them on their store (from what she had read about it, it looked fantastic). Then she wanted to visit the store to see all of their products for herself. But she could do none of these things and she knew that. But it still hurt.

But those summer months since Sirius's untimely death, Adelaide had drowned herself with work, barely ever sleeping, barely ever giving herself time to think about Sirius, about Remus, about the twins or Cedric or her family or anyone. She had covered her mirror with a sheet. Stopped shopping for new Muggle clothes, stopped going to the theater, and only went to the Muggle library to get books on time travel. She was focusing on her work.

It was the only thing she could think to do.

And then Dumbledore summoned her.

And she grew livid.

--

She was standing outside the gate of the castle, waiting for someone to escort her. She tried to keep her emotions in check, to reign in her anger, but she could not. The proximity to the castle, the last place she had been truly happy, only made her more angry. Sirius was dead. She had no friends. She hadn't even heard from Remus. She had had not human contact in months. She had had no further instruction aside from 'Keep on keepin on'. She was all alone. And now, suddenly, he wanted to speak with her.

How dare he.

It was McGonagall who stopped at the gate, her robes fluttering in the evening wind, her face hidden in the darkening night shadows. "Hayworth?"

Adelaide's jaw loosened, "Hullo, Professor."

McGonagall wave her wand and opened the gate, ushering her through. Adelaide could feel her hesitance to speak as they walked up the path. "I'm not angry at you, you understand, Professor."

The woman was not particularly good at covering her surprise: her eyebrows shot up, her mouth a thin line. "His methods can be -"

Adelaide shook her head, "I'm not questioning his methods. Nor am I questioning his judgments." Her voice was hard and after she spoke, she felt guilty for snapping at her former professor, a woman who had only ever been an instructor to her, a woman she had respected. "I'm sorry, I -"

McGonagall shook her head, "These are tough times, Ms, Hayworth."

Adelaide knew the end of a discussion when she heard one.

--

She sat down in an empty chair in the Headmaster's Office, her anger only increasing when she was informed she would have to wait for the Headmaster to return. Hadn't they made an appointment? Wasn't she on time?

She had barely waited five minutes when the Headmaster strolled in. "Forgive me, Ms. Hayworth, I did not mean to keep you waiting."

She did not reply.

He sat down and folded his hands together, "I have been doing quite a bit of my own research this summer." He paused momentarily and continued when it was obvious she wasn't going to ask him about it. "I expect you are wondering why I did not meet with you earlier after all of the commotion at the Ministry this summer."

She bit her tongue to prevent her from lashing out.

"But I trust you received Severus's note. I hope your research was not too disturbed by the fight." Again, she did not reply. "But despite Fudge's admittance to the Dark Lord's return, the Ministry still is not organizing a movement."

"Fudge is no longer the Minister." Her voice was flat and harsh.

"True. Scrimgeour is the new Minister. And I'm afraid he's going to pester Mr. Diggory and Potter, asking for their assistance or something similar."

"Is he going to bother me?"

Dumbledore looked at her over the rim of his half-moon spectacles, "This is what concerns me."

"Am I to leave?" Her voice sounded eerier to her own hears. Flat and dead.

"Not as of yet, no. We have ears in the Ministry, and if he starts to poke around too near your name, we will know in advance to get you out."

"But why should it matter? What is he going to do? Try to get me to reconcile with Cedric or my brothers? The press has nearly forgotten about me anyway."

Dumbledore frowned slightly and slid a copy of the most recent _Prophet_ over the desk to her. He pointed to a small article on the third page. "_Now that Mr. Diggory is no longer considered a liar and proves to not want to live in the spotlight, when will his former flame, Ms. Adelaide Hayworth, who has, to this day, remained invisible, come out of the woodwork to admit her undying love? And will Mr. Diggory, who is said to be one of the top bachelors in Wizarding Britain, take her back?"_

Adelaide let out a cold laugh and promptly covered her mouth. "Preposterous."

Dumbledore shrugged, "Even so, we will stay on alert. A publicity stunt like that could help take the heat off the current administration to find and defeat Voldemort."

Adelaide crossed her arms, "I have no time for petty politics."

"But you understand why it is crucial that you continue to have no contact with your family."

She nodded curtly, not trusting herself to speak.

He continued to talk at her for a few minutes, and realizing that she was not exactly paying attention, he leaned forward in his chair, "This will all be over soon."

She let out another cold laugh, "Not soon enough, Professor."

He sat back, looking slightly defeated and Adelaide suddenly felt terribly guilty. "I'm an old man, Adelaide. And I know I have made great and terrible mistakes in my life, but please tell me I didn't -"

She tried to keep her voice calm, "Professor, you didn't force me to do anything. I just wish the circumstances were different."

He sighed, "So do I, Adelaide, so do I."

She stood up, "My research has changed slightly, but I hope that it will help," he raised a hand to stop her, but she shook her head, "I'm trying to fix some of what had been ruined."

She watched him for a moment, fully aware that the gears in his mind only had to turn for a few moments before he would understand exactly what she was saying. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Professor."

"I know you were friends with Mr. Black, Adelaide. And I'm sorry you could not have gotten to know him better. He was a good man, and you two would have had a lot in common, considering your current -"

"How is Remus?" Despite her attempt to remain emotionless and cold, her voice quivered slightly, her eyes shining slightly in the dimness of the office.

"Grieving silently, pushing himself into his work and ignoring the love that some are offering him."

She smiled in spite of herself, "Sirius's cousin?"

"Nymphadora Tonks, yes. I hope that one day he'll let her in to his life." He watched Adelaide stare at the limp hand at her side, standing awkwardly in his office. "And I hope that you do not give up on love either, Adelaide. In this war, we're all going to need love to get us through. You need to remember that your family and friends still love you, in spite of everything. They will forgive you. Do not forget that."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide, her lips trembling and she nodded. "Remember," he said softly, "do not forget how to love or how to be loved."

And with those parting words, she left Dumbledore's office. And only a few months later, she would be relieved that her final parting with her former Headmaster was not angry but comforting.

--

She refused to think about her meeting with Dumbledore. Refused to think about Remus grieving. Refused to think about Sirius. Refused to think about anyone or anything that wasn't directly related to her task at hand: create new Time Turners.

But dreaming was another story.

And going against the advice of her former professors, she started to drink Dreamless Draught nearly every night. And so when she wasn't at work, she was brewing more, acquiring the ingredients through secret mailorders. She hated doing it, knew it was not a good idea, but she had to do it. There was no other choice.

She began to get frustrated with her research, however, and even found herself contemplating what would happen if she simply used it to go back to her final year at Hogwarts: what would she do differently? Refused to let Cedric enter the tournament? Deny her feelings for him and not start dating him? Warn Harry and he about Voldemort's return? Deny Dumbledore's request to defy her family and work secretly in the Department of Mysteries? Go into hiding with Cedric?

And then she laughed at herself; she wouldn't change anything. Couldn't. She needed to work at the Department, Cedric would have hated her if she hadn't let him enter the tournament, and would she really not want to have those precious few, happy moments with her only boyfriend? No. Things played out they way they were meant to, they way they had to, they way they needed to. But the more she thought about it, the angrier she got. This wasn't fate. It was simply circumstance.

And so in mid-October, she set aside her scribbled notes, her highlighted passages, her failed attempts at fashioning a new time turner and turned her attention to something else.

Thoughts.

She didn't want to get her hopes up, but she knew exactly what she wanted to determine: why people thought the way they did and how an enemy could use their usual thought process against them. Was there something she could find that could point to what hex a person would use? What their plan was? Could she somehow the Dark Lord and his minions' own, private thoughts against them?

She hoped she could. And with those rousing questions, she delved back into her work. Still addicted to dreamless nights, still not allowing herself to question the past or think about anyone.

--

She had grown so involved with her varying research that she barely paid any attention to the months that had passed since Sirius's death and her meeting with Dumbledore. She only read the paper to make sure no one she knew was murdered and to keep up to date on developing issues, especially within the Ministry. And then suddenly, Dumbledore was dead.

The _Prophet_ did not specify who had killed him, although there were claims that Snape had done it and that he was now on the run with Draco Malfoy and a few other known Death Eaters. Adelaide was horrified. Not only was Dumbledore, the only man who Voldemort feared, dead, but her former Headmaster, the leader of the Order, the organizer of the good side, was dead. Who was to be in charge now? Who was to lead? And Snape?

That was something she did not believe. Severus Snape was a lot of things, but he wasn't a murderer. Especially Dumbledore's murder. She did not and could not believe it. But she knew that not everyone else would think like her - in fact, she was well aware that only she and Dumbledore liked the Potions Master, that Dumbledore was his only vocal supporter. She believed that Snape was a spy for the Light, that he was double-crossing the Death Eaters, but she had great suspicions that not everyone felt that way. Would they excommunicate him? Would they force him to pick the Death Eaters now that the _Daily Prophet_ virtually accused him of murdering the greatest wizard who had ever lived? What would happen to Snape?

And what would happen to the Order? To the cause? To her?

Snape knew she worked in the Department. But he was a good guy, and she believed he was, but she had a growing fear that he could turn on her. Her favorite professor, the one person who knew and fully understood what she was going through and why she was doing it. Even though he had never said so outright, she knew there was someone he was protecting or remembering by being a double spy.

So setting her coffee mug down, she folded the paper and with the flick of her wrist, lit the paper on fire. She would not buy into the _Prophet_: Snape didn't kill Dumbledore. And if he did, it was for good reason. Severus Snape was a good man. Of this she was certain.

--

She wanted nothing more than to go to the funeral, but she knew she shouldn't. The grounds would most certainly be protected and guarded and she would have to give her name to get through. And everyone she knew would be there. And Remus would tell her if she should stop her research, wouldn't he? He would tell her if she were in danger, if she needed to leave her job, go into hiding. He would know if someone had found out she was working in the Department and wanted to use her as collateral. Remus would tell her if she could rejoin her family now, wouldn't he?

Dumbledore's funeral passed without word from Snape or Remus or anyone. She went on with her normal daily activities. Until she got the invitation.

It was the first letter she had received from anyone in her family, the Weasleys or Cedric in years. A wedding invitation to Bill and Fleur's wedding. Her happiness lasted only a moment; she hadn't even known Bill and Fleur, one of the other champions, were dating. Or even knew each other. She knew she had missed out on Cedric and her brother's lives, on the twins opening their store, of Ron's growth spurts, of Ginny's boyfriends. But she never even thought about what she was missing in Bill and Charlie's lives since they were so much older - just because they had finished school and had already been working for years didn't mean they weren't leading lives too. Bill had dated Fleur. And so he was probably working somewhere in London. How long had he been back? Did he like being back? Was Charlie upset he was the only one still in Romania? Was he even still in Romania?

She closed the drapes in her room and fell into bed, still clutching the invitation that had neither a day or time or place for the happy occasion. She frowned and let the tears fall silently down her cheeks, the first time she had cried in what felt like eons. They were all going on with their lives, making new families and enjoying their lives in these uncertain times without her.

Without her.

--

She woke up in a cold sweat, her palms stinging, her arms aching, her heart pounding. Feeling for her wand, she put all her sense on alert, not breathing until she was certain she heard no one in her flat. She had had a terrifying nightmare and had made a terrifying realization. What if what Voldemort wanted now was a Time Turner? What if he foolishly planned on going back and not killing trying to kill Harry, of leaving the Potters alone so he could continue to live and kill hundreds or not thousands of people? What if they found out she had completed one?

She had not been doing it as intensely as she had in the beginning, but she would take breaks from her other research and would always go back to her original project. What if someone found out? What if they planned on using it? Turning on lights, she glanced down at the invitation as she stood up. Blood from where she had been digging her nails into her palms during her nightmare had made the words "The Burrow, August 1, 2pm". She frowned, probably a trick by the twins or some sort of precautionary measure. She looked up at the bland calendar that hung on her wall. August 1 was tomorrow. She looked out the window. Or rather, today.

Even more upset by this realization and still terrified by her nightmare, she hurriedly got dressed for work. Frowning at her closet, wishing she could go to the wedding.

Shaking her head she said softly to herself, "I wouldn't have anything to wear anyway."

--

She got to work at her usual time, entering in her usual way, but this time, her nerves were buzzing with apprehension. She nearly jumped clear out of her skin when the guard asked her how she was. She was just entering the Department when she nearly ran into a man she had never seen before. She tried to hid her fear and confusion: she never saw anyone in the Department. She had never met anyone else in the Department nor did she even know who else worked in the Department.

The man was short and rather rotund with deep-set dark eyes and a thin, greying mustache. His lips curled into a terrifyingly sweet smile, "Hullo, you're the graveyard shift? I must have stayed her longer than I planned."

She attempted to smile her back, but found that she very well nearly forgotten _how_ to smile and only hoped that she didn't looked utterly ridiculous. By the increase in his creepiness, she assumed she had successfully smiled. "Yes, it happens." She went to step around him, but he seemed to be in no hurry.

"Name's Avery. New here last week."

She nodded politely, "Welcome, Mr. Avery."

His smile continued to grew and in her haste to try and leave the creepy man she very nearly missed the slight prickling feeling she felt inside her head. "Name's Hayworth, now if, well, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Avery, I have a lot to finish today," she said rather loudly, hoping to distract him from what she knew he was trying to do. It would not help if he discovered that he couldn't read her mind.

His eyes stared coldly into hers, "Yes, yes, certainly, Ms. Hayworth. Do you mind me asking what it is exactly you're working on?"

She smiled a true smile this time, her eyebrow cocking slightly out of routine from her past life, "Do you mind me asking what it is _you're_ working on?"

Her stomach knotted in fear when he let out a terrifying laugh, "Very good, very good." He nodded and strode past her, "I'm sure we'll be running into each other very soon again indeed."

She made no reply and instead stood rooted in place as she watched him walk down the corridor towards the lifts.

She knew running into him was no coincidence. But who could she inform? She had no way of getting in touch with Remus, Snape was on the run and believed to be working with the Death Eaters and everyone was probably waking up now to begin the preparations for the wedding.

"Last time I work on Saturday mornings," she said to herself.

--

She looked at her Muggle watch. 3:10. With a sigh she looked back at the parchment in front of her. And then she felt it. Another tingle in the back of her mind. And then suddenly it got worse; it got _painful_. Biting her lip she swallowed her groan of pain and with a lurch she stood up and hastily shoved all of her materials into her bag, confused and worried about who was here and what was going on. She raced quietly to the door, listening for movement. Her hand inching towards the doorknob, she felt something hot in her pocket and she froze. She knew what that was.

A letter from Snape.

_Get out_. That's all it said, but fear gripped her heart and her blood froze. Death Eaters. And suddenly, everything all made sense.

And then it hit her like a train: the Time Turner.

Without a second thought, she raced further into the Department, away from both the exits and the Death Eaters. She had to get the Time Turner before they found it. A thought sailed through her mind - should she destroy everything? What if Voldemort came in and could make sense of all the research, all the finds and studies, but then she remembered. Avery was one of his minions. Voldemort could acquire any information he wanted now. Throwing open doors, she finally reached the Room of Time and threw herself at the desk, ripping open a drawer and pocketing the small velvet bag. Cautiously, she started to make her way back, hoping that she could out escape the Death Eaters through the maze that was the Department until she could Apparate out of the corridor. But then a high-pitched cackle reached her ears, "We might not be able to read your mind, Adelaide, but we know you're here," the voice cackled again, "and you won't be able to Apparate out of here if we don't want you to!"

She froze. They had made it impossible for her to Apparate? She'd have to cross up into the Atrium to leave...

Would she be able to make it?

She took a deep breath and gripped her wand tightly. She didn't know how many Death Eaters there would be out there, but she'd have to fight them all off to get to the lifts and up to the Atrium. She'd have to rely on her personal library of hexes, her quick-thinking and the adrenaline she could feel already coursing through her veins. She couldn't let them have her Time Turner or her other notes.

She wouldn't.

Her minimal headway with her research wouldn't be as helpful to her now if she didn't know who she was fighting against: in order to understand what hex a person was going to use, she'd have to know who they were. But she had a sinking feeling they'd be using the Unforgiveables. Taking another deep breath, she ripped open the door and ran along the dark corridor to where she knew the next door would be, all the way thanking Merlin she knew a spell to make her footsteps almost too-quiet to detect.

And then there were hexes flying around her head, manic laughing coming from her left. With a grim smile she dodged a red light and aimed a silent hex at the dark-cloaked figure, her feet never stopping as she continued to run, her eyes surveying her surroundings. She launched another spell in front of her, getting the person right in the chest; she leapt over his stupified body as she continued her way, only to throw herself behind a column as Avery sent a hex at her. "Ah, Ms. Hayworth, won't you show me what you're working on?"

She kept quiet, not allowing herself to be sucked into their mind games. "No? Well, I'll tell you what _I've _been working on, how's that?" She looked frantically around as two other dark-cloaked figures closed in on her. She sent a silent spell at one of them, relieved that no one noticed as they fell silently to the ground. "I've been trying to track what you're been researching these past few years, been trying to check up on you. Seems no one knows you've been working down here. Think you're out in Belgium, is it? Your poor family." His voice was dripping with distaste, but she continued to ignore him as she sent the other figure silently to the ground. She sent a curse at Avery, sending it a little wide when he said, "They were most displeased to see you weren't at the wedding."

The high-pitched laugh sounded from her right as she ran towards the lifts, Avery at her heels, his curses bouncing off the walls as she weaved her away through the corridor. A curse grazed her wand arm, and she let out a groan, catching her wand with her other hand, thankful that her Quidditch-instincts hadn't become too complacent. She skidded into the lifts, closing the door with her wand just as Avery sent another curse in, the laughter echoing around the corridor.

She allowed herself a breath and a hope that there was no one in the Atrium. She used her magic to conjure a towel to wrap around her right arm, and to make the lift go faster. When the door opened, however, instead of a silent and empty Atrium, it was complete mayhem.

There were what seemed like swarms of dark-cloaked figures roaming the Atrium, lofting hexes, some singing and dancing around. She tried to hide behind a pillar, racking her brain for an exit, but then she heard something that nearly knocked the wind out of her. "The Minister's Dead, long live the Dark Lord!"

Was Voldemort here? She looked around frantically. How was she going to escape now when she had to cross an Atrium full of rejoicing Death Eaters? She willed her breathing to be normal, made her cloak longer and gave it a hood, hoping to blend in as she began to walk around the perimeter of the Atrium. She was nearly there when she heard that familiar high-pitch laugh and, "She got away, Master, but she must be here somewhere!"

Everyone froze. "Who's here that is so important now that we have control of the Ministry?"

"You idiot, why would you question the Dark Lord's intents!" Someone hissed over the quiet of the Atrium. Adelaide willed her feet to keep moving.

No one responded for a moment and Adelaide wondered if perhaps the Dark Lord wasn't there. She eyed the distance to the exit - she was so close, she wondered if she could make a run for it.

But then her mind tingled. And then, worse than before, it hurt. A groan escaped her lips and she suddenly felt a dark presence next to her. A cold hand gripped her arm and she looked into the smug eyes of a pale, black-haired woman who looked eerily familiar.

But she didn't get to finish her thought because then the Dark Lord himself was standing in front of her, the slits of his cold red eyes glaring down at her, the thin line where his lips should have been curled upwards in a sneer, "Adelaide Hayworth, you have been very hard to find."

She felt her head being pushed down. "You will bow before the Dark Lord!" The woman hissed into her ear and she tried not to shiver.

"It seems rather ironic that your ability to protect your thoughts is what got you caught, isn't it?" She stared directly into his red eyes defiantly and had she not been so scared and so desperate for a way out, she would have been pleased that he seemed unnerved by her defiance. "Being a triplet is nearly as dirty and Blood traitors and Mudbloods, did you know that? Read about that during your secretive research?" He waited a beat, "Tell me what you've been researching."

She stuck her chin out and did not respond. "Answer the Dark Lord!" The woman hissed again.

But Voldemort only laughed, or what Adelaide presumed was a laugh. "Snape said she was insufferably loyal and stupid, despite her supposed studies and her cozy position in the Ministry." He took a step closer to her, "You'll make an excellent hostage, or perhaps, simply a fun one to torture." His lips curled upwards again as he flicked his wand slightly and Adelaide bit her lip from letting out another groan of pain as her insides felt like they were being squeezed through the eye of a needle.

And then the pain stopped and sucking in a ragged breath she said loudly, staring at the Dark Lord, "Have to use a wand, do you?"

There was a collective gasp of shock from everyone else in the Atrium, but the red-eyed creature only let out another laugh. "Oh, yes, very fun indeed." She squeezed her eyes shut as the pain radiated throughout her body again, this time longer.

When she took another breath he said again, "Tell me what you've been researching."

Adelaide could feel the adrenaline pumping through her and she looked at the swarm of people around her periphery and with a slightly cocky smile and a raised eyebrow she said slowly, "No."

There was an uproar as the woman hissed at her again and there were collective shouts of her defiance of the Great Dark Lord and the new Minister, and Voldemort turned his head slightly to quiet his followers. Adelaide used this slight lapse in judgement to her advantage as she used her silent and wandless magic to call back her wand from the woman as she simultaneously sent the woman flying. The Dark Lord closed in on her in an instant, but she had already put up a strong shield charm and grinning wildly she shouted, "Never underestimate Adelaide Hayworth again, Voldy." She ran the last two feet to the door, pushing it open frantically, a hex grazing her shoulder as she raced out into the blinding afternoon sun and spun, Apparating to the only place she could think that would be safe.

--

She attempted to open her eyes, but she was drained. She was too exhausted to be too fearful of where she was now; she knew it had been a risk to try and Apparate all the way here without dying of exhaustion or not enough magic that she hadn't even thought about splinching. But she felt too tired to care, too resigned to attempt to figure out where she was, to try and hide in case they could follow her. The hard ground felt glorious and all she wanted was to go to sleep forever.

"Lenny get over here! What in tarnation has got them all riled up like this?" The voice sounded peculiar to her, the accent clearly not English and she could feel the ground shake with what she assumed were pounding footsteps.

"Weasley! Hayworth! Hold them down!"

"Sir we just got back!" She nearly cried at the familiar sound of Jack's voice.

Her heart raced slightly. She had made it! She was here! She willed herself to sit up, but she couldn't. She tried to yell out but her voice was hoarse. Gripping her wand slightly, she prayed that she had a bit of magic left to send up a small flare. It worked.

"What the bloody hell?" She heard footsteps approach her and she tried to open her eyes, her vision hazy, but she would have to be blind to not recognize the face that was hovering over her, "It couldn't be."

"Charlie," she tried to whisper.

Then Jack's head was hovering next to Charlie's and she nearly wept with joy, willing her arms to lift up to touch his face, as he stared at her, although she couldn't make out his face. "Addie?"

"I -" She didn't finish as she felt a strong arm lift her up into a sitting position and put a cup of water to her lips. "They overran the Ministry, managed to Apparate out, but Voldemort -"

Everyone winced and Adelaide was suddenly aware of the unfamiliar and unfriendly faces standing over her. "We should tell Mum she's here," Charlie was telling Jack who hadn't moved.

"NO!" She yelled and everyone jumped back. Her eyes fluttered close and Charlie caught her before she could fall onto the ground.

He looked at Jack, keeping his face calm and emotionless. "If she Apparated all the way here..."

Jack nodded, "We won't tell anyone until she explains." Charlie lifted her up to carry her to a bed, but he noticed Jack's hurt expression, knowing full well he probably felt too many emotions to sift through: betrayal, relief, anger, joy, hurt... "They all think she's abroad anyway."

Charlie nodded as he walked to his tent, well aware that Jack wasn't following him. He frowned when he noticed Adelaide felt noticeably lighter and he stared at her sleeping and yet pained face. He had no conflict of emotions; he was utterly relieved she was alive.

--

He laid her gently on his bed, to exhausted to search for an empty bed elsewhere; it had been a long day what with his older brother and best friend getting married, the news the Minister had been killed and the onslaught of Death Eaters and the fighting. He hadn't wanted to return to Romania, but his parents and Mr. and Mrs. Hayworth nearly forced Jack and he to return. And then, of course, there was the arrival of Adelaide.

She barely moved when he adjusted her head on the pillow, her face still twisted into a grimace. He brushed her long hair away from her face and he frowned. Had she dyed it? Why? His heart clenched when she let out a faint whimper and buried her cheek into the pillow. With a ragged breath he pulled the blanket around her, stroking her hair once more. He had missed her terribly, they all had. They had all held out hope that she would return to them, but when Percy hadn't...at least they had seen Percy, knew he was alive. There had been no word from Adelaide in two years, no rumored sightings. They had all stopped talking about her because it hurt too much. But he knew that everyone still thought about her, just like he had everyday.

He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head before, placing her wand on the bedside table, left his bedroom, leaving the door open in case she woke up and walked to the armchair in his sitting room, configuring it into a more comfortable piece of furniture and with another long breath, sat down and shut his eyes, praying for sleep.

--

Charlie was making himself a cup of tea, his eyes flashing towards the door every few seconds, hoping that Jack would show up before Adelaide woke up. He knew Jack was trying to sort everything out, probably upset that he couldn't owl Neil or his parents right away, but he had to respect Adelaide's wishes. It had been nearly 14 hours since she arrived in the middle of the night, and Charlie was relieved that he and Jack still had the day off since they were still supposed to be in England...

He knew his parents and his family were okay - Ron had run off with Harry and Hermione, the bloody Golden Trio, but they were fine, and he had gotten word that everyone else was safe. Currently.

Grumbling that Jack still wasn't here, he sent a Patronus to the younger man, afraid that Adelaide might wake up when he was gone. A few moments later, Jack was there, purposely avoiding Charlie's eyes. "You know me too well, Weasley."

Charlie chuckled, "I know you can't stay mad at her when she looked like that, Hayworth. She must have good reason."

Jack's eyes darted up and Charlie was not entirely pleased to see they were darker than their usual deep blue-grey, something that usually meant he was angry. "It bloody hell be a bloody good reason she went ape on us and Cedric and ignored us all for so bloody long."

Charlie opened his mouth to reply when they both heard the distinct sound of a creaking floorboard and turning around they were staring into the cold, pale grey eyes of a sullen dark-haired witch, her wand pointed directly at them both. "Ch-charlie? Jack?" Her voice was thick and they watched as her shoulders instantly sagged, her wand arm fell limply to her side and she let out a heart-wrenching cry. They were both at her side in an instant.

Charlie led her to an armchair, but she winced as he touched her sore and throbbing arm**. **He nodded to Jack and went to find his Healing Kit as Jack wrapped his arms around her, careful not to press to hard. "Addie," he whispered into her hair and she let out another sob, still too afraid that this was all a dream to hug him back.

"Jackie?" she whispered hoarsely, "is it really you?"

He let out a chuckle as a tear fell on to the top of her head, "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He laughed again as he pulled back slightly to get a good look at her, leading her back to the chair and helping her to sit down, sitting on the arm rest next to her. "You look ruddy awful," he fingered a piece of her short hair, "what did you do to your hair?"

She wanted to scold him, slap his arm, but she was too happy to see her brother, to relieved to be in the presence of a brother and a friend, that she couldn't help but smile, tears falling freely down her face.

Charlie came back and with a megawatt smile he began to bandage up her arm, "I knew you couldn't stay angry, Hayworth."

Adelaide's pale eyes flitter to her brother, "I'm sorry, Jack, I wanted to write, you know I did and I-" she stopped, a horrified look crossing her face, "I shouldn't be telling you any of this," she looked at Charlie, "either of you, I could be putting you two in danger -"

Charlie shook his head and Jack grabbed her hand, "You're safe here, Adelaide. No one can Apparate in like you did, trust us. You're related to me, that's the only way you could. And besides, none of us are entirely safe anymore anyway since we're in the -"

Jack was cut off by Charlie who shot the younger man a warning glance but Adelaide finished the sentence for him, "The Order, I know."

They both looked shocked at her and she took a deep breath, "I suppose it won't matter anymore, but," she looked at the both, "you can't tell anyone I'm here. They're after me." Charlie opened his mouth to question her but she shook her head, "I need to eat first, maybe take a bath, then I'll explain everything."

They both nodded, "You can stay here as long as we do, Addie." Jack smiled at his sister, but Charlie knew it wasn't the large, relieved and joyous smile it should have been.

Something with Adelaide had changed, not that he hadn't expected it to after two years, but it wasn't a good change.

--

Charlie did his best to keep the mood light as he quickly whipped up a breakfast of pancakes and eggs for the three of them, with no help from Jack who tried to appear stoic but only succeeded in looking sullen and grumpy. Charlie didn't know exactly what he should talk to Adelaide about - did she want to hear about everyone? Did she care? Would that only make her depressed and tearful again? So instead, he chattered away about the dragons, how Jack was quickly moving his way up through the ranks, about the weather. He only stopped when he realized Adelaide was too busy stuffing her face to really listen.

"You Apparated all the way here?" Jack's voice was void of all emotion.

She simply nodded, her eyes never leaving her plate as she shoveled another bite into her mouth. "That's impressive. To be coherent and conscious after only a few hours of sleep."

Adelaide shrugged and took a huge gulp of water, "This is delicious, Charlie, thanks."

He shrugged, "Not a problem. Bathroom's back there. There are some clean towels in there too."

She nodded and with a grateful glance started towards the bathroom but stopped when Jack said evenly, "Mind fixing your hair, Addie? It's very offputting."

She turned and allowed a giggle to escape from her lips before nodding and with a small smile, locked the door of the bathroom.

Jack looked towards Charlie, his eyes furrowing and Charlie could almost hear the gears whirring in his mind. He set down his glance, knowing that Jack was going to do his best to articulate his thought process out loud, something he had grown used to: the two men had grown close over the past two years. All the Keepers on the Reserve trusted each other and treated each other like family, but it was different with Charlie and Jack. They had always been good friends, Jack nearly idolizing the older redhead when he was younger, but when Jack had arrived on the Reserve, they helped each other through the realization that both Adelaide and Percy had excommunicated themselves. Although they were rarely said so out loud unless copious amounts of liquor were involved, they had been each other's rock as they felt their families falling apart in England. They were as close now as Charlie had ever been with any of his other siblings and the pain from being so far away from his siblings both physically and mentally had been healed somewhat by Charlie's presence and constant companionship.

"She's, well, I guess she's changed, Charlie."

"We all have. Always does during a war."

"Why did she come here though? Why would she risk her neck Apparating all this way?"

Charlie shrugged, "I presume she'll tell us."

Jack shook his head, "I'd like nothing more than to berate her, yell at her for leaving us all, for leaving me and Neil and mum and dad and Cedric! Bloody Cedric was a wreck those first weeks," he sighed, "and I'm sure he still wasn't much better long after that, although I wouldn't really know." He ran a hand over his shortly-cropped blonde hair and let out a breath.

"You did the right thing by coming to the Reserve, Hayworth. It's been two years, stop beating yourself up over it."

Jack looked up shocked and let out a low chuckle as he shook his head at his friend, "You're getting to good at realizing what I'm thinking, Weasley."

"She wouldn't be here if she still didn't believe he was back, Jack."

He grimaced, "Well she saw him, didn't she? So of course she'll believe it _now_." Charlie didn't make to respond, knowing there was nothing he could say to Jack. "She's hurt all of us too much, I don't know if anyone will forgive -"

Neither had heard her reenter the room until the thud her shoes made when she dropped them on the floor. Charlie looked up to see the now-blonde girl, her face pale, her eyes bright and watery and tired looking, wearing the same clothes they had found her in but cleaner, her lips in a tight line. She looked between Jack and Charlie, "I don't expect anyone to forgive me, Jack, I just, need somewhere to stay for a night and then I'll be on my way," she looked at her feet as she continued to ramble on, something Charlie had never remembered her doing before, "I don't have anywhere to go, I presume, but they can't find me to get that information, maybe I could oblivate my memory, hide my papers, and -"

Jack coughed, "Adelaide, you can stay here, but," he paused and looked to Charlie who only stared at Adelaide, his face full of pity and confusion. "I, well, I'll need time to forgive you, and everyone else too, but they'll be pleased to know you're alive."

She nodded and rejoined them at the table, placing her shoes next to her on the floor and clasping her hands together on her lap, not meeting either of their eyes. "Where do you want me to begin?"

--

"Before we left the castle, Dumbledore asked to meet with me and he told me about the Order, explained the cause to me and asked me if I still wanted to work at the Department of Mysteries, explaining that any research I did would be more helpful now than ever, something that I had highly doubted, but he seemed rather convinced." Her eyes never once left her clasped hands, too afraid to look into the angry or pitiful eyes of her brother and friend. "He wanted to know if I wanted to help, if I wanted to protect you all since you'd all be in danger, you Weasleys because you're blood traitors, Cedric because he witnessed it and us because we are so associated with them. I agreed, of course, wanting nothing more than to protect everyone. And then Dumbledore explained to me that I'd have to severe all ties with you all. Publicly."

"But -" Jack started but Adelaide looked up at him with such sadness in her eyes that he stopped.

"Think about it, Jack. Would the Ministry openly hire someone to the most secretive and important of Departments who was a known supporter of Dumbledore who nearly everyone believed to be borderline insane? If I was to be hired by the Ministry, if I was to help the cause, I had to get you all to believe I hated you. And since the paper had been so keen on Cedric and Harry and subsequently on our relationship and on you and Neil, I had to do it in public," she hiccuped when she tried to hold in her sob. "I would have liked nothing more than to tell Dumbledore no, to stay with you lot, to share a flat with Neil and Cedric, but I couldn't. I had to do this," she grabbed his hands, "can't you see?" Her voice was thick and she looked on the verge of more tears as she stared into Jack's eyes, begging him to understand.

"You could have contacted us." His voice was flat.

"No, I couldn't, Jack. What if the Ministry questioned you all? What if they found out it had all been an act? I would be risking my job, my life and the lives of everyone else. It was something I had to do."

Jack stared at her with such annoyance and borderline contempt as he spat out, "You didn't have to do anything, Adelaide! We thought you really hated us, we thought you were dead! Don't you understand? It tore us apart! We were all devastated!" He slammed his fist on the table, staring hard at her as she sinked back into her chair.

Charlie stood up, "Hayworth. You will either let her finish or you will leave right now." His voice was authoritative and calm. "You are not helping the situation by lashing out at her. She has made it perfectly clear that she had no choice in the matter. We've all had to make sacrifices, Jack. But Adelaide's sacrifices have been for our immediate protection." His steely blue=green eyes dared Jack to argue. The younger man stood with jerky movements and stalked out of the small cabin, leaving a disappointed Charlie and a devastated Adelaide behind.

Charlie stared at the door, shocked and appalled that Jack had left like that. He didn't move until he heard a shocked and pained laugh sound from next to him. He sat down and took Adelaide's hand as she continued to laugh in disbelief before letting a few tears fall down her face. "He hates me," she barely whispered.

Charlie shook his head and wiped the pad of his thumb across her cheek, frowning when she seemed to tense at his touch. "He doesn't hate you, Addie. He's just confused and hurt is all." He rubbed her shoulder supportively, "I understand why you had to do it," he said softly, "I know it wasn't something you wanted to do."

She shook her head and took a deep breath as she tried to straighten up. "I'm tired of crying."

He nodded. "I'll keep listening. If you want me to."

She turned her face towards him, appraising him, her sad, pale grey eyes searching his. His breathing hitched as he saw a flicker of her old self, of her old fire in her eyes. She might be changed, might be depressed and guilt-ridden, but she was still the same beautiful, intelligent, loyal girl he had fallen in love with nearly 3 years ago.

"Thank you," she whispered.

--

Charlie was at times outright angry, sympathetic, apologetic, horrified and shocked during Adelaide's tale of the past two years of her life. He made tea for her, attempted to show support by taking her hand or rubbing her back but she always seemed to tense, flinch or pull away making her story only that much more heartbreaking. She told him everything that had happened, excluding what her actual research entailed and ending with her flight from the Ministry.

They were still seated at the small kitchen table and Charlie appraised her face as she took a deep breath, waiting for an outburst that was sure to be worse than Jack's. "Adelaide," her eyes widened, surprised by his gentle and soft voice, "Snape killed Dumbledore. Harry saw the whole thing."

She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing, "Dumbledore must have asked him to then."

"Adelaide -"

"Why would he warn me to get out if he was only working for Voldemort?"

"Are you positive it was Snape?"

She pulled something out of her pocket, "Look," she demanded.

Charlie stared at the unmistakeable handwriting. "Maybe he is a double agent, maybe he hasn't been helping He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, but -"

She slammed her fist on the table, completely startling Charlie. "No." Her voice was fierce and threatening and the fire in her eyes worried him slightly. "He wanted me out of the Department, was angry that Dumbledore wanted me to do this, he was the only one who understood what I was going through, what my life was like and I know if he could, he would have written me or continued to visit even after Remus stopped. So don't you dare argue with me, Charlie, about the merits or loyalty of Snape."

All Charlie could do was nod.

She took a ragged breath and sank back into her chair, "Sorry," she said softly and sincerely, "I expect you want to yell at me like Jack? Merlin knows I deserve it."

Charlie hated seeing her this way: the once energetic, passionate, out-spoke, courageous, confident, fun, loyal, funny, well-loved, intelligent and athletic girl was now a broken shell of her former self. He hated pitying her, but how could he yell at her to buck up when she left like this. He let out a sigh and ran a large hand through his unruly hair. "Adelaide, you don't deserve it. He's just - he just can't quite sort out his feelings yet. He's pleased your alive and that you never hated us, but he's angry he has to keep this from Neil and everyone and he's probably bloody pissed at Dumbledore." He watched her tuck some hair behind her ear, "Adelaide, you're safe now. And as soon as I knock some sense into old Jack, I expect you to pick yourself up, stop crying and try to act like your old self. Yea?"

She attempted a smile and a nod before saying quietly, "This is the most I've talked or seen anyone in ages."

Charlie tried not to frown, reminded of the way she had rambled and faltered through her story, as though she hadn't spoken actual words in years. He was about to suggest they have something to eat when someone burst through the door.

Charlie watched as Adelaide stood up defiantly, her jaw locked, her lips tight, her eyes wild, her long, dirty blond hair behind her shoulders and her arms crossed as she faced her brother: she looked like her old self. Jack, however, rarely one to be on the receiving end of her anger was caught momentarily off-guard. He opened his mouth to speak but Adelaide spoke first. "Jack, I understand that you're angry and I know that everyone else will be angry with me too, but you should know that I always believed Cedric and Harry and I never wanted to ignore you and Neil and everyone else, but I didn't have a choice. And I know you don't want to hear my excuses, but had there been any other way...you needed to know the truth."

There was a labored pause before Jack swallowed, "I know, Addie. I always held hope that you were lying and just needed to get away or wanted to break up with Cedric or something, I just never thought you'd be doing something important and confidential for the cause." He took a breath, resisting the pull to hug her tightly, "But," he started, holding up a newspaper, "We have bigger problems."

**WANTED:**

**Adelaide Hayworth, Unspeakable**

**Fugitive, Evading the Law, Illegal Use of Hexes and Spells on Ministry Employees, Stealing Confidential Materials from the Department of Mysteries**

**Last seen Yesterday Apparating away from the Ministry**

**Believed to have been posing as a Muggle**

**Thought to be hiding with family members or former friends**

She looked up frantically at the two me, "I've put everyone in danger!"

Jack put a hand on her shoulder, "No one at home knows so they won't be lying, they'll be fine, Addie."

She looked searchingly into his eyes, "But what about you two?" She watched helplessly as Charlie and Jack looked meaningfully at one another.

"You're on assignment in Russia -"

Jack shook his head, "I'm staying here. I've already oblivated everyone's memory and I'm her brother. If I'm not here, they'll keep searching for me but it'll be less suspicious if you're out looking for rogue dragons..."

Charlie gripped the taller man's shoulder, "You already had Chief write the assignment."

"Broom and tent are outside." He turned towards his sister, "Don't argue, Adelaide. It's the only way. Once this all blows over," he smiled sadly, "maybe I'll be quicker to forgive you, not be such a prat."

She hugged him tightly, "I wish we could be together longer."

He kissed the top of her head, "Take good care of Weasley here, all right? He's the best Keeper we got."

Adelaide stayed inside the cabin as Charlie walked Jack back to his own cabin to oblivate his memory of Adelaide's presence. When he got back Adelaide had already packed some of his clothes for him and some to shrink for her and had pocketed the bag, trying her best to remain strong as Charlie beckoned her on to the broom. He told her to try and sleep as they flew low through the forest, hidden from any possible Death Eaters.

His arms tight around her middle, he navigated them along grateful when he could feel her breathing change. Sleeping was better than crying.

--

A/N: This was going to be a bit longer, but then it ended up being too long, etc but don't worry, the next bits will be about Charlie and Adelaide roughing it out in the woods…..and I'm not that happy with the fight scene, but oh well.

PLEASE REVIEW!


	14. Somewhere in Russia

A/N: Sorry this is taking so long…I know people are reading/subscribing to this story or are at least glancing at the page, but please, please review!! I would really appreciate feedback!! And for those of you who are reviewing – THANK YOU SO MUCH!

--

_**Post-Hogwarts:  
Somewhere in Russia**_

He shook her awake. "Time to make camp?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"No," he smiled, "time for breakfast and packing up camp."

She looked around, taking in the inside of the tent and the blanket around her, "How long was I asleep?"

He shrugged, "Sun's just coming up now," he opened the flap of the tent, "come on, stream's over there. We can set up a slightly more permanent residence tonight. Just want to get a bit further away. They won't follow us too far into dragon-territory."

She could only nod as he went to check on their breakfast and she walked to the small stream to wash her face and brush her teeth. Feeling slightly more awake, she sat on a log opposite Charlie and accepted the bowl of oatmeal he passed her. They sat in silence for a moment, Charlie shoveling the food into his mouth and Adelaide simply staring at it before saying quickly, "I'm sorry for uprooting your life, Charlie. You didn't have to do this, I could have managed on my own -"

Charlie grinned, "You're nutters, Addie. I've got my best friend back, I'm out camping and I'm helping the Order by protecting you and whatever it is you've been researching. If anything, I should be thanking you."

She looked up at him and smiled slightly, "You're much too nice, Charlie."

He grinned and nodded at the bowl she was holding, "Eat. We'll make real food later."

They ate in silence for a few moments when she let out a clear laugh. He looked up, grinning at her happy face. "We're really camping aren't we?" He gave her a quizzical look and she laughed again, "I mean, I did always wish we went camping around St. Ottery. And here we are. Camping for real."

Charlie joined in her laughter. "Come on, Addie, we've got to get moving." She stood and wiped off the shorts she had been wearing for what felt like weeks and smiled when, with a wave of his wand, sent everything packing into his bag. He looked at her, "Want some fresh clothes, eh?"

Adelaide shrugged, "I could make them myself."

Charlie's eyebrows shot up, "And let you ruin my favorite clothes, woman! Never!"

"All right," she challenged, cocking an eyebrow "you fix me some new clothes, and I'll make myself a broom."

--

He opened his eyes, wondering what had woken him up, and then remembered the dream he was just having: the same dream he had been having for nearly two years. His subconscious had been making him relive the last time he had seen or talked to Adelaide nearly every night for two years. It wasn't just a dream; it was a nightmare.

She had yelled at him, he tried to defend himself, he accused her of not caring for him anymore, she accused him of never liking Cedric and wanting him to get hurt and told him she didn't want to talk to him. "For at least a while," she had said sadly. He squeezed his eyes shut as he clenched his fists. He had wanted to tell her then that he wanted to tell her and Cedric about the dragons, wanted to tell her that he was nearby, wanted nothing more than to see her. And he had. Well, he had yelled it at her. And then as she was walking away, he nearly scrounged up enough courage to tell her that he loved her, that he was jealous of Cedric and all the time he got to spend with her. But instead he had said, "If that's what you want."

She had looked at him with such sadness, such disbelief that even now his stomach turned. And then a few months later he found out she was dating Cedric. From his mum no less.

And then, she had disappeared.

He beat himself up for months when she first left. He would have been happy she and Cedric had split up...no, that was a lie and he knew it. He was happy for her; happy that she was happy. (At least he wasn't Oliver, he had told himself numerous times). But she had severed ties with everyone. And then they were in a war. What if he died without telling her how he really felt? Without even apologizing? What if she died? He tried so many times to write to her and he still didn't know if she had gotten his letters. But one day he knew he had to stop: it was killing him to write to her constantly and to get no reply.

His private musings ceased when he heard her whimper softly and move about her sleeping bag. He held his breath, his heart aching. When she whimpered again he couldn't take it; he climbed out of his bag and laying on top of hers, wrapped his arms around her. He felt her tense in his arms but she didn't move away or whimper. "It's all right," he whispered into her hair, "I'm here, you're okay."

He felt her relax slightly but tense again when she realized someone was holding her. She tried to maneuver away from him slightly but he continued to hold her, "Adelaide," he whispered softly, kissing the top of her head, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know," she whispered back.

He let out a soft sigh, "Were you having a nightmare?"

She didn't answer for a moment, "I've been taking a dreamless draught nearly every night."

He nodded against her head, frowning. "Do you want me to stay here with you?"

She turned over so she could look into his face. His breath hitched when her pale grey eyes that looked eerily similar to the full moon searched his deep blue-green ones, "Charlie, I -"

He nodded, smiling slightly and tucking some hair behind her ear, trying to hide a grin when he noticed her cheeks colored slightly and her breathing quickened slightly, "I know you're not used to interacting with people, much less touching or hugging, but Adelaide, maybe it'll help." Her eyes continued to search his.

"I'm sorry," she said breathily.

"For what?" His eyebrows furrowed and she tried not to smile despite the gravity and sadness she was feeling.

"For yelling at you and accusing you of hating Cedric -"

He put a finger to her lips, chuckling slightly and adjusting his arm that was around her lower back, inching ever closer to her waist. "Hey," he chuckled again as she frowned, "you talk too quick. And besides, it's me who should be sorry. I beat myself up over that everyday -"

She nodded. "Charlie," she brought her hand up to his face so he would have to look into her eyes, "I'm sorry." There was no other way she could express just how terrible and sorry she truly felt.

He attempted a smile and kissed her forehead lightly, "I know. Now come on, go to sleep."

--

Her eyes flew open as a cold fear gripped her: where was she and why was someone holding her? Her eyes darted around the dimly lit tent and bracing herself she turned slightly. All she saw was red hair before she remembered the events of the last two days. She was a fugitive. Running from Voldemort. In a forest in Russia. With Charlie. She took a deep breath. At least she was _with_ someone now.

She tried to squirm her way out of his arms so she could get dressed, maybe take a dip in the nearby pond, but Charlie's grip was vice-like around her. Sighing, she relaxed her body and tried to drift back to sleep, but her mind kept wandering to the last time she had woken up in a boy's arms: Cedric.

She blinked her eyes and stared at the tent wall. Cedric. Charlie murmured softly and she could feel him move his head closer to hers, his breath tickling her ear. She smiled slightly. Charlie. Even though she felt slightly uncomfortable being in direct contact with him, or anyone really, she could not deny that she had slept nightmare free. Mostly likely due to him sleeping beside her. She was able to turn to her otherside without waking him and with a light finger, she traced his arms and collarbone, remembering how the hard planes of his chest had looked all those summers ago and imagining what they looked like now as they were pressed against her. Her eyes and finger traveled up to his face; she outlined his jaw lightly and smiled to herself as she watched him sleep. He really was a wonderful best friend.

_And a gorgeous one too._

She snapped back to reality and looked over his shoulder, embarrassed by her traitorous mind. This was Charlie. He was risking his neck to protect her. The last thing she should do was fancy herself in love with him. Look at what had happened with Cedric and Sirius. At least Cedric wasn't dead...

_Yet_.

She bit her bottom lip. She really needed to control herself before she worried herself sick with these ridiculous notions.

She couldn't get her mind to shut down long enough to fall back asleep: she tried focusing on her breathing and her heart, but Charlie's would grow louder and her mind would create images of Charlie shirtless and of Charlie taming dragons. What felt like hours later, Charlie slowly opened his eyes and smiled when they landed on Adelaide. "Morning."

She smiled ruefully, "If you let me go I could go make us breakfast."

He chuckled, his chest vibrating against her, "But this is so comfortable, darling." He chuckled again when she groaned. "Did I fix your nightmare problem?"

She raised an eyebrow, "This isn't a permanent situation, you know."

He chuckled and pulled her closer, "Isn't it? Come on, Addie," he whined, "don't you like cuddling with me?" He batted his eyelashes at her making her laugh and swat at his chest.

She bent her arm to rest her head, smiling slightly as her bright grey eyes flickered between his blue-green ones, watching as a few hazel specks became more pronounced. "Tell me about Bill and Fleur."

He grinned, absently caressing the pad of his thumb down her bare arm. "Well," he started, adjusting his own head so he could look down into her face, "you know Bill's a bit of a ladies' man. And, well, she thought he was cute when they met during the Tournament. She had already planned to spend a few months in England afterwards and so Bill had mentioned that he was contemplating taking the position at Gringott's. And after Cedric and Harry saw You-Know-Who, Bill decided to stay in England. And so they began to get lunch and stuff together and he helped her with her English." He cocked an eyebrow suggestively at her, "Those were her words, not mine."

She let out a laugh, "Helping her with her English? Bill would!"

He continued to make her laugh recounting the "Tale of Bill and Fleur" and she would laugh uproariously at his terrible French accent complete in a falsetto. "She doesn't sound like that!" She laughed at him and would swat his arm. But then she would quiet down again and allow Charlie to continue. Neither noticed how long they laid there, their faces mere inches apart, their legs and feet pressed together, her hand resting against his chest near his heart, his fingers still dancing across her arm: they were both too comfortable around each other to notice.

But then Charlie's story reached the actual wedding day and they both became somber. He tucked some hair behind her ear, his finger accidentally brushing against her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered quickly. "I wish I could have gone."

Charlie smiled sadly, "I do too, Addie. You got the invitation?"

She nodded, "The day before."

"You could have gotten hurt if you were there anyway."

She let out a hollow laugh, "Because I was a lot safer at the Ministry."

"Addie," he started but she shook her head.

"Come on, we should get up and eat something, maybe change." She attempted to get up but he tugged on her arm.

"Adelaide CatherineHayworth, stop." He took a deep breath, "Will you please just stop for a second? We were having a nice time, weren't we? Look," he rubbed his face tiredly, "I know these past two years have been difficult for you, they've been tough for all of us!" He sat up when he spotted her rolling her eyes and lifted her up with him, grabbing hold of her hands.

"I don't need saving, Charlie!" She stormed out of the tent, leaving a perplexed and helpless-feeling Charlie sitting on the enlarged cot.

He found her a few moments later angrily stirring something in the small pot floating over the fire. "I'm not trying to save you from anything, Adelaide. I just want to help."

Her head snapped up to look at him, her eyes flashing dangerously and he planted his boots firmly on the ground, fearing the worst. "I don't need your help, Charlie. I was perfectly fine on my own before and I would be fine now too. I don't need you or Cedric or anyone!"

"I never said you did!" He sounded exasperated and sad but Adelaide ignored this.

"Then why are you out here with me? I didn't ask you to come. I don't need you!"

Charlie's face contorted slightly; it was one thing for her to yell at him once because she was angry and confused and not used to anyone's company, but to yell at him multiple times over something stupid was borderline ridiculous. "Really? You don't need me? You'd be okay here in the forest by yourself? With dragons and other dangerous creatures?"

"Yes!" She crossed her arms furiously across her chest. "I'd be perfectly fine! I can handle myself!"

"Really?" He laughed, "Because it looks like you did a great job of taking care of yourself these past two years!" He threw up his hands, ignoring the pain and embarrassment crossing her face. "You're rail thin, you look sickly and white as a ghost, and you don't even know how to talk or act around me, let alone actual people!"

She didn't respond and the realization of what he said finally hit him, "Adelaide, I -"

She frowned and put up a hand, "No, you're right. I couldn't take care of myself properly these past few years and I probably wouldn't last very long out here either," she frowned, "but I don't need saving."

Charlie nodded, "I don't want to save you, Adelaide, I want to help you."

She looked up at him and nodded, "I never needed anyone to save me."

Charlie's face broke into a smile, "I know, Addie. We all knew."

"I didn't need Cedric, you know."

Charlie nodded, not particularly liking where this conversation was going; he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Adelaide, come on, the oatmeal is probably burning."

"Oh!" She turned her attention back to the pot and Charlie prayed she didn't mention Cedric or the Tournament or anything again.

--

Charlie felt as though he was walking on eggshells around Adelaide that first week as they continued to travel through Russia by broom and by foot: he had thought there location was fine, but Adelaide would worry and wish to continue on just a little bit further. Charlie didn't mind all that much and they were far enough away from where any known dragon caves that they weren't in any immediate danger. And he was glad to see Adelaide getting some exercise and some color: to see her flying, hiking and occasionally swimming in the ponds and creeks they came across: at least she was always smiling. But he never tried to start a conversation, afraid of her reactions and instead opted to wait for her to ask him about the dragons on the Reserve or ones they may run into, what the others had been doing the past few years or anything else.

But on their 5th day of traveling, Charlie stood his ground: "No, Adelaide, we are staying here. We are thousands of kilometers away from the border, away from England, and it's only going to get colder the farther west we go."

She looked up at and bit her lip, "All right, all right." She looked around at the landscape. "So this is Home Sweet Home?"

Charlie laughed, "I think you mean Tent Sweet Tent." She swatted at his arm and helped him to unpack the bag.

"You mind if I go wash some of these clothes?" He shook his head and continued to put together the tent, set up the fire-pit and begin to put up a few basic wards. Wiping his hands off on his dirty and worn-out khaki shorts he set off towards the river hoping to at least wash off his shirt and face. He was only a few meters away when he stopped, his mouth open in shock and his eyes bugging out slightly: there was Adelaide, standing calf-deep in the river, facing away from him, clad only in her knickers. He had seen her in her shorts and a bra she had made out of her only shirt when she went swimming, but here she was, completely starkers except for a pair of barely-there panties. She didn't look as thin and sickly as she had felt only a week ago when he had slept next to her: she looked healthier, more like her old self...

_Except now, an adult._

And thank Merlin for that. He turned around quickly, realizing that he was clearly intruding on her and feeling like a bit of a perv for watching her bathe and wash her clothes...

_His clothes._

He rubbed his face tiredly and gathering up enough will power, tried to walk quietly away from the river, not wanting to embarrass her by making his presence known. But she _was_ wearing his clothes, technically of course. But they were made to fit her: not too tight, he didn't want to offend her, but _Merlin_ she had looked good in those denim and khaki shorts and those tight, short-sleeved flannels...

He made it back to the camp and sat down. He was frustrated with treating her like she was some sickly, delicate flower. He wanted to treat her like he used to: like a best friend, like a...

_Definitely not like a sister. But not like a girlfriend, she probably still is in love with Cedric..._

He was deep in thought when she returned, mussing his hair and sitting across from him, "You put up the wards?"

"Hm? Yea. You can put more up if you'd like, Ms. Top-of-Her-Year."

She rolled her eyes and stood up, walking around the tent and waving her wand, not bothering to mutter any incantations out loud. She stopped however when Charlie broke her concentration, "I've been thinking. Since you were working for the Order, was, was Percy working for the Order too?"

She couldn't look at him, the pain and hope so evident in his voice; she hated lying to him, but she couldn't tell him the truth. He already knew too much. "I don't know what you mean." She waved her wand again, not facing him.

He was behind her in an instant, grabbing her arm lightly and turning her around, his hopeful eyes searching hers. "Adelaide, who am I going to tell out here?"

"Charlie, it's not my place -"

"Please, Adelaide."

She had never seen him so depressed and helpless. Not even when they had fought, or rather, when she had picked that fight with him...

"You can't tell anyone until he does. It could ruin everything."

Charlie's face broke into a smile, then his eyebrows furrowed and before she could read the hundreds of emotions flitting across his face, he wrapped his arms around and lifted her up. "Thank you, Adelaide. _Thank_ you." She laughed into his chest. "I just, I just couldn't handle my little brother_..." _

He trailed off and set her back down but she patted his arm, smiling. "I understand."

Charlie returned the smile and sat down on the log closest to the tent. "That mean that he knew you were in the Order too?"

She shook her head, "He probably assumed, but no one explicitly told him, no. He had no idea where I was actually working or what I was doing..."

"So when he told us you were in Belgium?"

She shrugged, waving her wand again, "Probably just wanted everyone to stop worrying."

He nodded, "You ever going to tell me what it was you were working on?"

She didn't flinch, "I worked on a lot of things, Charlie."

He bit his cheek to keep from smiling. Typical Adelaide. He knew it would take a while for her to tell him anything.

--

"Adelaide, Adelaide!" He shook her shoulder, "Come on, wake up."

Her eyes shot open, "Wass wrong?" She rubbed her eyes as she mumbled, sitting up in the process. "Somethin happen? Why's it dark out?"

Charlie smiled, "Here, put this on," he handed her a coat and a part of worn khakis that they were shrunken to fit her, "it's cold out."

She slipped the pants on over the pair of Charlie's boxers she wore to bed throw the coat on as she slipped her boots on, trying to keep up with Charlie, "Charlie! Where are we going?"

He only smiled at her and took her hand, waving a blanket in front of her face, "Star gazing!"

She laughed as he laid the blanket down after they had walked along the stream for a short ways to a small clearing far enough away from the light from their camp. "Perfect!" He clapped his hands and with a flourish, gestured for her to lay down first. "I brought food and some butterbeer too."

Her mouth hung open in shock, "Butterbeer? Merlin's beard where did you get butterbeer?"

He laughed as he squirmed slightly next to her, trying to get more comfortable. "You really think Dragon Keepers don't bring some kind of alcoholic beverages with them on trips?"

She put her cheek on the blanket to stare accusingly at him, "You were hiding alcohol from me!"

He hesitated, "Um, I, uh –"

She laughed, "I'm kidding, Charlie. It was probably better that you did anyway." She turned her head to look back up at the dark sky and let out a contented sigh. "This is beautiful, Charlie."

His fingers grazed her slightly and his pinky intertwined with hers, "Not this many stars in London, eh?"

"Not even this many in St. Ottery, either."

"There are no lights out here anywhere."

They were silent for a moment, watching the sky when Adelaide pointed out a shooting star, "Make a wish," she laughed. After a short pause she intertwined all of her fingers with Charlie's. "That was the first shooting star I've ever seen."

He shifted his head to look at her, "Glad I got to share that with you."

She nodded slightly before meeting his eyes, "Thanks for being so patient with me, Charlie."

He shrugged and with a slight smile, reached up to tug her hair lightly, "Figured I should be nice to you now since I'm going to make you come with me when I look for dragons in a few days."

He chuckled as her eyes lit up, "Really? You're going to let me come with you?"

"Well, course! And I hope you're ready to listen to me talk endlessly about them."

She grinned, "Charlie, please. You know how I love to learn new things."

They were silent again for a few minutes before Adelaide, her eyes still on the sky, "Time Turners," she said quietly.

Charlie stared at her, "What?" He swallowed, "Adelaide, you don't have to tell me anything –"

She smiled, "I trust you, Charlie. You heard how all the Time Turners were destroyed?"

He nodded, "It was in the paper. And most of the prophecies too."

"Well, I took it upon myself to see if I couldn't recreate a Time Turner, even though there weren't any instructions left."

Charlie looked impressed, "How did you even begin? What did you do?"

"Muggle science books, charms and incantations that were related to time travel and the like. I needed to get my mind off death and that ruddy Veil," she paused and swallowed, Charlie's thumb caressing the top of her hand, "I had to get my mind off Sirius, so I started to research this. I know I can't use it to save Sirius or change anything significant in the past, but maybe one day it will help our cause," he voice trailed off.

"But you don't want it to get in the wrong hands."

"Which is why I had to go back for it. I might have been able to leave without having to fight, but I couldn't let them find the Time Turner."

He looked at her incredulously, "You finished it?"

She nodded, "Nearly. I just need to test it."

He frowned, "You're going to need my help, aren't you?"

She nudged his shoulder with her own, "Don't you trust my skills?"

He rolled his eyes, "I just don't want you to hurt yourself, you twit."

She rested her cheek against his shoulder and whispered, "I know, Charlie." She yawned quietly and turned her attention back to the beautiful and star-filled sky, just wanting to lay there quietly with Charlie. And for the first time in a long while, looking up at the stars, laying next to Charlie, she felt contented.

--

He was already eating breakfast when she stumbled out of the tent, "How long are you supposed to be on this little excursion?"

He shrugged, "Depends. They'll send a few more supplies in a few days and hopefully Jack will slip in a few _Prophet_s to keep me updated on my family and the like. But I do need to look for and document a few dragons."

She nodded and sat down, picking up the other bowl, "Will we need to move camp?"

He shook his head, "Not yet at least. We'll need a home base and we're fairly close to them." He watched her to see if her face would let slip how scared she was.

She cocked an eyebrow, eyes still on her bowl, "I'm not scared, Charlie."

He coughed awkwardly at being caught, "No, no, course not."

She changed quickly and laughed as Charlie apologized that they would have to hike the whole way as magic could scare the dragons and they'd be easier targets on brooms. "Charlie, stop apologizing! I like hiking!"

He smiled, "I've got water and lunch in the pack, is there anything else you want to bring?"

She shook her head and pulled on his arm, "Let's go already! I'm excited to learn all about your dragons!"

He told her all about the types of dragons they had at the Reserve, what exactly a 'dragonologist' did from day-to-day and about Jack's tenure at the Reserve. "After this year, he'll have three types of dragons that will be his expertise. He's already the lead dragonologist on Hungarian Horntails since McPhee retired. But he's been working extensively with our one Ukranian Ironbelly and he has been petitioning for more; hopefully once this mess is over he'll be granted permission to get a few more. He's also been working with the Portuguese Long-Snout." He paused, "He's a good kid. A real natural with the dragons," he glanced at Adelaide who was grinning as she watched where she walked. "Who would have thought that quiet little Jack would grow up to be a natural dragonologist?"

She laughed, "He did always idolize you, Charlie. Neil too. Although, I'm fairly certain for different reasons."

"What do you mean?" He laughed, "Because I was the coolest and most attractive of the Weasleys?"

She bit her lip and Charlie watched, amused; he knew she was thinking of something to cover her apparent slip-up. "No, well, I mean, probably because of Quidditch and because you talked with him more than Bill. And I don't think he was very fond of Bill's hair."

Charlie laughed, "Course. I know I was cooler than Bill." She punched his arm.

"What dragons are you an expert on?" She watched amusedly as his face flushed slightly. "Come on, Charlie. Boost all you want."

He rubbed the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous or upset, "Well, when you work at the Reserve as long as I have, you tend to have worked with all of the dragons we have." She waved her hand to encourage him to continue on. "But, I'm Head Dragonologist for the Chinese and Catalonian Fireballs, although I'd like to get another Cataolonian so we can have a few hatchlings. And I've worked extensively with the Romanian Longhorn and the Norwegian and Rhodesian Ridgebacks," he hesitated and Adelaide cut in.

"But?"

"Well, I'd really like to get another Peruvian Vipertooth since the first one that was ever caught died a few months ago. Of old age, really. And I'd really like to get an Antipodean Opaleye for the Reserve too: they're very few in Reserves. Most of them run free in Australia and the government has been known to allow wizards and witches to kill them at will if Muggle see them."

"I can't imagine there are very many places for them to hide in Australia what with it being mostly desert."

Charlie shook his head sadly, "Hopefully once this bloody war is over, Jack can get his Ironbelly and I can get me either a Vipertooth or an Opaleye. Or maybe both." He shrugged, "But I'm not getting my hopes up."

"So you've worked with all dragons except the Opaleye?"

"Worked with all of the dragons? No. No one really works with the Hebridean Black since those MacFustys usually care for them, sell their hides and claws and all that, and there really aren't any wild ones. But I've studied them and the Opaleyes and Common Welsh Greens since we no longer have any on the Reserve, with books and reports and things. But there are a lot of hybrid species, some we know about and some we have yet to find, that are hiding out in No-Man's Land." His eyes twinkled with excitement.

"And that's the mission of our little quest?"

He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, "An added benefit."

--

Adelaide kept quiet when Charlie motioned that they were nearing a cave where he was fairly certain there was a Rhodesian Ridgeback. She kept pace with him but when they got closer, he looked at her sternly and waved for her to stand behind a tree as he went closer to the mouth of the cave to investigate. She watched him with bated breath as he stepped into the cave. A few minutes later, he emerged, a large grin on his face and waved for Adelaide to join him.

"They're sleeping," he said, still grinning.

"Th-they?"

He chuckled quietly, "Thought you weren't scared, kid."

She crossed her arms haughtily, "I'm _not._ I just was surprised that there was more than one is all."

He continued to grin as he put his pack on the ground and rummaging through, took out what Adelaide recognized as fire-proof parchment and fire-proof pen and a small wizarding camera. "Look here," he pointed at the ground, "see these prints? Can you take pictures of them?" He handed her the camera, "Make sure to take pictures of all of the ones you can find, yea?" She nodded, "Then give the camera back to me."

"What kind of dragon are they?"

His eyes twinkled, "One Norwegian and one Rhodesian. They haven't mated on the Reserve, but it sure would be fascinating to see if these do. Otherwise, they're probably on their own and decided to share this cave, safety in numbers sorta thing."

She watched him walk back to the mouth of the cave, "Charlie!" Her whisper was harsh and grating. "What are you doing?"

He grinned, "Documenting what I see," he winked and walked a few more feet into the cave as Adelaide started to take pictures with slightly shaky hands.

When she was done, she waited for Charlie to come back, examining the mouth of the cave, running her fingers along the rock. They passed over some sort of divot and taking another look, Adelaide was surprised to see some sort of marking. She stared at it intently and didn't hear Charlie come up behind her. "What is it?"

She jumped slightly, "Not sure. It looks like Runes, but there's something slightly off about it." She moved over so Charlie could look at it.

"Never seen it before. Here, give me the camera and write down what you see here," he took the camera and snapped a quick frame of the drawing before taking pictures of the cave mouth and the surrounding area.

Once they were done, they continued a little further on before Charlie suggested they head back to camp. "Tomorrow we'll go north from camp." She nodded, chewing on her lip slightly, still thinking about the writing they had seen.

--

They were lying in their respective cots, as they had been doing; Charlie's eyes were wide open as he stared at the roof of the tent, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Adelaide really enjoyed herself today; she loved to hear Charlie talk about his dragons, about his favorite dragon, Caterina, a Catalonian Fireball, who he had raised since she hatched and had reminded him of Adelaide almost immediately because of her stubbornness, eagerness to learn new commands, her love for her few fellow dragons and her overall protectiveness of Charlie. Adelaide had smiled and comforted him when he had admitted that he hated leaving Caterina like this, that he missed her and that she would love Adelaide nearly immediately. She hadn't been anything but understanding and impressed and told him how much she looked forward to tomorrow.

He put his hands behind his head, knowing full well that he was far from a peaceful sleep. He wanted to hold her in his arms like he had that first night, but he was worried about disrupting her new-found inner peace, her familiarity with him, the ease with which she interacted with him now. She looked _alive_ now; the deadness gone from her beautiful grey eyes –

She let out a whimper and his eyes searched for her in the darkness of the tent. She moved violently, but still Charlie kept still. But when she let out another whimper, Charlie flicked his wrist, lighting a lantern and sat on her bed to shake her awake. "Adelaide, hey, it's all right, I'm here, hey, hey."

Her eyes shot open and before Charlie could tell her it was all a dream, she had thrown herself at him crying freely. He nearly fell off the cot from the force with which she threw herself at him, but he steadied himself and stroked her hair murmuring, "It's all right, I'm here, you're safe," over and over again in her ear. After a few minutes she hiccupped and wiping her eyes looked at him. "Merlin," she let out a watery chuckle, "I'm sorry."

He frowned, running his thumb over her cheek to wipe away excess tears, "Nightmare?" She nodded. "Want to talk about it?" She shook her head. He eyed her warily, "You sure?"

"It was bad, that's all. I was just overwhelmed that you were here."

He hugged her again, "You want to go back to sleep?"

She bit her lip, "Uh, no, I think maybe I'll –"

He chuckled and stood up to drag his cot alongside hers, "Come on, lay down."

"Charlie, I –"

"Nope, no arguing, come on. I don't want any nightmares either."

She let out another watery chuckle and smiled, her eyes glistening slightly, "You're too nice, Charlie."

He winked, "This is more for _my_ benefit anyway."

She rolled her eyes and lied down, flicking her wrist to mesh their cots together and expand their blankets so they could share more easily. She watched him lay next to her on his side and smiled when he yawned. "Tell me more about Caterina."

He smiled as he watched her close her eyes, her breathing even out as he told her more stories about his favorite dragon.

--

The next day they traveled north. But their encounters today were much more eventful.

They chatted as they hiked: Adelaide wanted to know if Jack had written to Cymbelia at all, if they had ever gotten back together, if Neil was seeing anyone, if Harry had finally admitted to himself that he loved Ginny, if the twins ever made time to date. Charlie had laughed and slapped her on the back with a "One question at a time, Addie," before pulling her hair and running ahead. She laughed and chased after him before he finally stopped to answer her seriously.

"Yes, Jack writes to Cymbelia on occasions, but there is little time to date on the Reserve, especially because she's in London," he rubbed the back of his neck, "and they got into a fairly big argument, about," he turned so he could keep walking, "his love for dragons." She followed him, frowning, knowing that they had probably argued about _her_ and the dragons. "Neil hasn't brought anyone to meet your family, Jack says. But the _Prophet_ sure does like to make him out to be some sort of womanizer, eh?" He slowed down so he could walk with her. "He went stag to the wedding as well, as most of us did. Harry and Gin apparently _did_ date, but I didn't get to give him my well-practiced 'Older Brother' speech on a count of he apparently broke things off right before the wedding. Didn't want her to get hurt I guess."

Adelaide frowned, "Once this whole mess is over?"

He nodded, "Bill said she apparently dated loads of blokes at school," he chuckled, "I was horrified at first, but, it's Ginny. She knows what she's doing, doesn't she?" He shook his head with a smile and Adelaide knew that he missed his kid sister just as Ginny missed her favorite brother (aside from the twins). "She did look bloody pissed at the wedding though. She and Fleur don't exactly get along and she was a bridesmaid, but Fleur really does love Bill, even after the whole," he rubbed his neck, "werewolf thing. The twins went on about how no one ever goes to pubs because of the War and so they were mad that they rarely got to meet girls." He hesitated and turned to look at her, "And no, Cedric hasn't been on any dates that I know of."

She looked up at him and tried to smile brightly as she passed him, "And what about you? Any Keepers or Healers or Romanian Muggles?"

Charlie followed her, a puzzled look on his face. "No, just me and my dragons." They walked in silence for a moment, too deep in their own thoughts. But then, Charlie knocked into Adelaide nearly knocking her over, "Hey, what happened? Are you –" He followed her eyes and let out a "Bloody hell," before pushing Adelaide out of the way. "Stay down," he yelled, jumping away from her and grabbing his wand. "Oi, oi!" He shouted, trying to get the Ironbelly's attention. The dragon hot him an angry glance before rearing its head and letting out a deafening scream.

"Bollocks, she's got a nest and we're _too_ near them. She's long past trying to calm down," he shouted, "run far enough away and Apparate back!"

Adelaide stood up, gripping her wand, "No, I'm _not_ leaving you."

He dodged a line of fire, "Don't be stupid!"

But she had already transfigured a large fox and a large dog that raced in front of the dragon, the same technique Cedric had used during the Tournament, but this only made the Ironbelly angrier. "Charlie, come on!" She yelled, waving for him to follow.

He knew that trying to calm this Ironbelly was a no-win situation, but he knew Adelaide's diversion wouldn't last long enough for them to get away and he didn't want to risk hurting the new mother by confounding her. Looking around frantically, he wordlessly waved his wand to uproot a few trees and stacked them in between the Ironbelly and Adelaide and himself. She saw what he was doing and soon a few boulders were blocking the dragon's path as well. "She won't fly," he grabbed her hand and pulled her, her legs moving quickly to keep up with his long-legged pace.

"It won't hold her very long," he yelled back as he guided her through the dense forest. He finally stopped and swung her into his arms before looking her straight in the eyes, "I'm so sorry," he whispered before they Apparated.

They landed next to the water, breathing heavily, still staring into each other's eyes, his arms locked around her shoulders, hers wrapped around his waist. His eyes flickered over her face, his breath shallow and fast: and there was only one thing he could think to do.

And so, he kissed her.

It was gentle and cautious; he didn't want to scare her, he was out of breath and he hadn't exactly thought this through. But she wasn't pulling away. He felt her hands grip his shirt. And then she was moving her lips against his. He moved his hand up to cup her head as used his lips to tug on her lower lip, his other hand sliding down her side to rest on her waist, pulling her closer. But then she had pulled her head back and her soft, warm and utterly delicious lips were gone from his. He didn't want to open his eyes, didn't want reality to settle in: he wanted to live in that moment forever, wanted to lock it away and dream about it when he was depressed and distraught and worried about the war. But he heard her take a ragged breath and so he slowly opened his eyes, his deep blue-green eyes now a deep sea green and rested his forehead against hers, still holding her body close to his, not wanting to lose the heat that she was radiating, the fire that she was starting.

"Charlie –" her voice was barely a whisper. He looked into her eyes and nearly lost himself in the slate grey that had replaced her usual clear pale.

"Adelaide," he smiled softly, his eyes flickering between her mesmerizing eyes and her terribly kissable lips before focusing on her eyes. "I can't lose you again," she smiled at how adorable she looked when she was confused. "I wanted to tell you after the World Cup when it finally hit me and I wanted to tell you during the Tournament, but then we fought and I had seen how Cedric looked at you that summer and I knew that he would be good to you, _for_ you: he would be there when you needed him, he would leave you be when you needed to be alone, he wouldn't be a burden, but he'd be good for you. And I knew that you'd realize that sooner or later. But then," he licked his lips and swallowed, "then I thought you hated us all forever and I – I couldn't bear it, Adelaide. To not even have you has a friend was one thing, but to never know if you were safe? If you really hated us?" Her body was flush against his now, his shirt still balled in her fists. "I just can't bear to lose you again, Adelaide."

"Charlie, I –" she licked her lips and watched as his eyes flickered down to them. She pulled on his shirt slightly and he looked back up into her eyes, gauging her reactions, wanting nothing more than to kiss her again, but not wanting to scare her off.

Her eyes flickered quickly to his lips and then she was closing the few centimeters between them, standing on her toes to kiss him better.

She let out a soft moan that only made Charlie kiss her harder, massaging her lips with his, wanting nothing more than to part her lips, to let him kiss her properly, the way he wanted to, to show her just how much he cared for her. This time she pulled on his bottom lip as she pulled her face back with a chuckle, rocking back on her heels and burying her face in his chest, bringing her arms loosely around his neck.

"What are we doing?" She laughed quietly.

He kissed the top of her head and stroked her back. "I confessed years worth of feelings for you and attempted to snog you soundly."

She lifted her head to meet his eyes, "Are you sure this isn't just because you're stuck with me?"

He smiled, drawing his thumb across her cheek, "I'm not _stuck_ with you, Adelaide. If you hadn't been so young during the Cup, if I hadn't been so scared of hurting you –"

"Charlie," she tried to take a step back but he still held her hand, "I don't – I can't – I'm still, Charlie, I'm still trying to get my life in order."

He lifted her chin, "We all are, Adelaide, I'm not trying to pressure you. I just, I just needed to tell you and that Ironbelly and that," he rubbed a hand over his tired face. "If you're still in love with Cedric, I understand," he dropped her hand. "He was your first boyfriend and all that, I, I just needed you to know."

He turned to walk to the tent, looking completely forlorn, but Adelaide grabbed his hand and hugged him fiercely. "I'm not in love with anyone, Charlie. But, well, I'm still trying to figure everything out and well, can we still be the same? I mean, you know, can we still be friends – best friends – while we're here and just see. Just see where this takes us?"

He smiled, "Are we still sleeping in the same bed?"

She swatted his arm and laughed, relieved that he was able to lighten the mood.

_We'll be okay_, she thought as she looped her arm around his, her head resting on his arm as they looked out over the water. They'd be okay.

--

A/N: Thoughts? Did they kiss too soon? Are they going to be totally awkward now? (Ah, I couldn't bear them to be awkward and I doubt Charlie would allow it….) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!! :) I hadn't originally planned on ending it here, but….figured it was as good a place as any….

I have no idea what I'm going to do with them for the many months before the final battle…maybe they'll have to go back to the Reserve? Make new amends with Jack? Disguise her? We'll see…

Please review!!


	15. Back at the Reserve

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!!!

--

_**Post-Hogwarts:**_

_**Back at the Reserve**_

Charlie sat outside the tent writing a report on the Ironbelly they had seen while Adelaide bathed in the river; he tried not to let his eyes wander, even though he knew he was too far away to see anything. He couldn't help the silly grin that was plastered on his face: he had kissed her. He had _kissed_ Adelaide. _Adelaide_. He shook his head, still grinning and tried to focus on his report. He wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and snog her properly, but he knew he couldn't rush her. She said she wasn't still in love with Cedric, but he knew that it was never easy to get over your first boyfriend; especially when said boyfriend was also one of your best friends with whom you were currently not on speaking terms but would like to eventually mend said relationship. He sighed. She was right of course to be skeptical and cautious. This was bound to blow up in their faces.

He looked up when she walked over in a pair of his loose khakis and a blue and grey flannel, all negative thoughts evaporating from his mind as she distractingly toweled-off her hair. "I was thinking."

He tried to hide his frown, "Oh? What about?"

He let out a sigh of relief when she said, "What if those odd Runes meant that someone knows those dragons were there?" Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I wish I had my Runes book," she pouted slightly.

Charlie stood up and tugged lightly on her damp hair, "Addie, stop worrying. It was a pair of Norwegian and Rhodesian Ridgebacks. If people knew they were together they wouldn't have been left in that cave, they'd be on a Reserve somewhere being studied. It's too rare."

"But -"

He smiled and walked towards the river, "You're just being paranoid now. Stop worrying."

She frowned as she watched him walk to the river, picking up his papers and bringing them into the tent. She plopped down on the bed and looked around for something to take her mind off everything. WIth a defeated sigh, she sifted through her things before pulling out her Time Turner, her formulas and her research, wondering if Charlie would protest her testing it.

She frowned as she turned the small hourglass over in her hands, fingering the delicate gold chain. Charlie. Cedric. Sirius. Remus. Fred. George. Ron. Harry. Oliver. Callum. Jack. Neil. Hell, even Snape, Cook, Ewan and Alec. How had she gone from the lone triplet-girl who everyone saw as an asexual, best friend who was an awesome Quidditch player and had virtually no girl friends, to a woman who fell in love, fancied herself in love, have crushes and have boys - men, really - who loved her exactly as she was? How had she gotten here? How had she gotten so lucky? And yet, so doomed?

She continued to stare at the Time Turner. Had she made a mistake getting involved with Callum? Allowing Oliver to kiss her? Dating Cedric? Befriending Sirius? Kissing Charlie and allowing herself to contemplate beginning an actual relationship with him? It would be so easy to just alter those few, key moments...

-

Charlie was towel-drying his hair when he came through the flap of the tent. Yawning, he slipped off his shoes, khakis and shirt, closing the tent and securing the wards. He smiled when Adelaide rolled over in her sleep, her legs now covering part of her papers. He gently moved her legs so he could put her things on the floor and pull the blankets down. He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her cheek lightly.

He hadn't meant to wake her, but she stirred and opened an eye, "Hey," she smiled when she saw him. "We didn't eat."

Charlie smiled, "I'm too tired."

She closed her eye, still smiling peacefully, "Me too." She moved over on the bed so he could get in comfortably.

"Do you want to put pajamas on?"

This time both her eyes shot open and she stared at him accusingly, "You just want me in my knickers."

He held up his hands, his blue-green eyes conveying his horror and apologies, "No! No, I just thought, boxers, would be, you know, more comfortable than pants. I mean -"

She laughed and put her hand on his knee, "I'm kidding. Hand me a pair of boxers and a shirt and close your eyes. I'm too tired to get up." Once she was changed she patted the bed, "Come on, I'm exhausted."

He eased himself in beside her, putting an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, a hand on his chest as he brushed stray hair away from her face. She tried to stifle a yawn but failed and he chuckled, kissing her lightly on the mouth. "Goodnight, Adelaide."

"You mean, 'good afternoon', Charlie."

--

Her eyes shot open. She swore she had heard something. She looked up at Charlie's face, his eyes closed, his lips parted slightly, his hair falling haphazardly across his forehead. He looked so peaceful.

There it was again. She instinctively pulled herself closer to Charlie, her mind raced as it began offering up paranoid scenario after paranoid scenario. Dragons. Death Eaters. Crazed Russians. Confused and angry Muggles.

She heard it again, a kind of scratching noise. It was light out, but she couldn't see anything outside the tent. "Charlie," she patted his arm, "Charlie, wake up. Did you hear that?"

He stirred, "Wha?"

His eyes popped open a moment later. "That?" She nodded and he sat up, grabbing his wand, Adelaide doing the same. They walked slowly towards the flap of the tent and Charlie counted to three with his fingers before yanking open the flap, both of their wands drawn.

Charlie started to laugh uncontrollably. Adelaide, however, was not as amused.

-

Charlie read Jack's letter as he handed Adelaide the few _Prophets_, the Reserve Owl eating the few treats they offered it. "Jack says they expect me back soon. With or without the whereabouts of any dragons. Says Caterina's restless. The Death Eaters and Dementors put all the dragons in a frenzy." He frowned, "They were only there one day though. Thankfully."

"They aren't going to come back?" She opened the most recent paper, searching the headlines for anything with the words 'Fugitive' 'Wanted' 'Department of Mysteries' or 'Triplet', but found nothing.

"Says they apparently have more important things to do - rounding up Muggleborns, looking for Harry and apparently," he let out a disgruntled sigh, "bothering our families."

She continued to flip through the_ Prophet, "_I'm not even top priority on the Most Wanted list. That must be good. Right?"

Charlie set Jack's letter down and placed a hand on her knee, her face hidden behind the paper. She put it down next to her on the bed to look at him. "How soon?"

Charlie tried not to frown, "You're coming too."

She looked at him incredulously, "And put you - and Jack - and the entire Reserve at risk? NO!"

He traced a circle lightly on her knee. "They aren't going to come look for you and no one else knows who you are -"

She pushed the paper in front of his face, "See this picture?"

He let out a laugh, "You can barely make out your face because you keep squirming and look your hair is still that awful color!"

"Oi!" She smacked his arm but he laughed and pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug. "You're coming with me, Hayworth."

He couldn't see, but he knew she'd rolled her eyes. "When do we leave, Commander?"

"This afternoon? My girls miss me."

"And where, pray, am I going to stay?"

"Why," he was grinning at her now as she cocked an eyebrow, "with me, of course! So, I can make sure you don't try to run off -"

"And so how are we going to disguise me? Hair color? Charms?"

He looked indignant, "_Disguise_ you? No ma'am. You're tanner and _healthier_ looking than in that bloody picture and I rather _like_ your hair just the way it is."

"Name? Won't people think I look a bit like Jack?"

He laughed, "You saw Jack. His hair's too short and your eyes could be a coincidence." He stroked his chin, "Pick a name you like. Can you fake any accents?"

She frowned in thought and Charlie again thought about how utterly adorable she looked. "Not sure. That might be risky..."

He kissed her on the cheek and stood up from the bed, "I should write Jack back - and don't worry. I've got everything figured out," he turned and winked at her. "See? Didn't even let you interrupt."

She rolled her eyes and picked the papers back up. "Snape's Headmaster?"

Charlie sat back down on the bed with parchment and fire-proof pen. "Really?" He shrugged, "Guess that would make sense since He's in charge now." He watched as her eyes raced across the page, her brows furrowed. "What?"

"Nothing, just odd, that's all."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Adelaide grabbed her pack and shuffled through it, ignoring Charlie's questioning glances. He watched as she wrote quickly on a piece of paper before it disappeared from her hands. "What was -"

"Nothing," she said firmly. "Are you done with the letter?" He nodded folding it and attaching it to the Owl's leg. "Good, I need you to help me with something." He watched as she pulled out the delicate gold chain. She looked at him, her eyes hard and her face fierce: which reminded him greatly of her Quidditch face. "I won't take 'no' for an answer, Charlie."

--

Snape was in his chambers when he felt something warm in the pocket of his robes. He nearly broke down in relief: he knew she wasn't dead, but to finally hear from her? His fingers shaking slightly he read:

_'Safe. Not alone. I know it wasn't your choice.'_

He rubbed a hand over his face tiredly, the paper bursting into flames on his palm. At least he had one supporter. His dark eyes stared into the fireplace once more, knowing that neither sleep nor relief would come easily. He wanted nothing more than for this entire mess to be over...His eyes glanced to his penseive, the few glass vials that were placed next to it. One for him, one for her and one for the Ministry if they ever needed it...With a deep breath, he sat up straighter and composed himself. Might as well get ready for another day.

--

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "It worked!" She wrapped her arms around his torso and he kissed her neck, her collarbone and her shoulder as she laughed. "You doubted my skills?"

He groaned, "No. But I was still worried." He brought his face up to meet hers, "I hope that's only for emergencies?"

She smiled, "Yes, Charlie. Do I need to explain -"

"Merlin, no, not again," he kissed her cheek, his lips lingering slightly and smirking when he saw her eyes were half-closed, her breathing slightly labored.

"We should pack," she muttered softly.

He kissed the corner of her mouth, "Hm." He kissed the other corner, chuckling at her soft growl.

But he stopped chuckling when one hand gripped his shoulder, the other snaking to his chest as she pulled him closer to her, pressing her lips firmly to his. He buried a hand in her hair, the other on the small of her back as he coaxed her mouth open, groaning as their tongues became acquainted.

She pulled away sometime later, needing to breath, panting slightly as she smiled at him, "Was that to shut me up?"

He smiled back, "Never."

She cocked an eyebrow, "We do need to pack."

He held her to him and pouted, "You're no fun."

--

Charlie was surprised that Adelaide made it a full two hours before she _demanded_ he tell her what his plan was to sneak her on to the Reserve. His cocky grin vanished, however, when he saw how her eyes flashed, her jaw tense. He gulped as memories of Quidditch matches and fights between her and a number of his brothers flashed through his mind. "Well," he licked his lips nervously, "well, we'll check you in to the nearby Inn while I go to the Reserve, see what's going on, and then I'll bring you to my cabin -"

"Won't anyone care?" She cocked a challenging eyebrow, her arms crossed: she looked terrifying.

"No, no. You're my new girlfriend. I won you over and convinced you to come live with me. You're interested in magical creatures, of course too."

"Of course," she said, sarcasm practically dripping off her tongue. "And Jack?"

Charlie looked confused, "What about Jack?"

She rolled her eyes. "How are we going to tell Jack without him getting angry and upset or telling someone or -"

Charlie smiled softly at her, "Can't you just trust me? Please."

She eyed him warily, "Yes, but -"

Charlie grinned and took her hands, picking her up off the bed, "Good. Now, come on, let's leave so we can cover as much ground today before we have to make camp."

She frowned, knowing full well Charlie wasn't going to tell her what his plan was. It wasn't that she didn't trust him; she just was afraid of another outburst from Jack that mirrored his previous one. What if he didn't ever want to speak to her? Even see her?

Charlie whistled as he picked up his broom and tossed Adelaide hers. "Race?"

She narrowed her eyes, a ghost of a smirk evident on her lips. "You're on, Weasley."

--

After their race, which Adelaide won with ease, they took their time: Charlie wanted to get back to his "girls" but he also wanted to spend as much time with Adelaide. Neither particularly wanted to rush back to the "real" world, to the War, to the questioning eyes of the Reserve. Neither said anything out loud, but they both knew that their relationship, or whatever it was they had, was not going to be the same once they reached Romania. As Adelaide flew in between trees, crossing in front of Charlie's path and back again, she thought of one of the Muggle movies they had all watched as children, one of those black-and-white American "classics" (as their mother had called it), that they had watched one rainy day that the twins were too young and boisterous to like, Ron and Ginny too young to understand. But she had liked it. Like Rick and Ilsa, she and Charlie would always have "the forests of Russia".

After two days of flying, sleeping in one enlarged sleeping bag, stargazing and minimal conversation, they made it to the Romania border. Charlie pointed out the inn where he would leave her for only a few hours. He held her arms, his eyes boring into hers, "If I'm not back within three hours, I want you to Shield yourself and leave. Do you understand?"

She nodded tightly, knowing he wouldn't take no for answer and yet feeling that he was being a bit _too_ protective and a bit too ridiculous. "Yes, Charlie."

"Good," he still held on to her arms, "put up whatever wards you like, make sure you stay alert. There shouldn't be any problems, but who knows, yea?" He bent his head closer to hers, "You going to change your hair before we go in, aren't you?"

"Just for those three hours," she said haughtily.

He let out a low chuckle and kissed her softly, his hands moving down to her waist. "You think Jack'll mind us kissing?" His lips were mere millimeters from hers but he still wore a cocky grin that made Adelaide want to do nothing but pinch his arm. Which she did. He chuckled again.

It was her to grin cockily as she met his lips again chastely, "We'll see," she kissed him again. "Come on, let's go. You don't want to keep your girls waiting anymore, do you?"

--

She sat in the middle of the small bed, her wand in her one hand, her Time Turner around her neck. One hour. She had been staring at the door, her ears listening for any sound what so ever. She wasn't afraid. She didn't have that same foreboding feeling she did at the Ministry. She doubted that anyone was going to wait around for Charlie to come back to question him, but she was nervous that someone might come for a visit to the Reserve in a few days. Maybe a few weeks...

And what of Jack? Would he react the same as he had last time? Or would it be worse? Would he be angry that she and Charlie were - well, whatever it was they were? Would he be more angry with her or with Charlie?

Could _she _handle Jack being mad with her?

She didn't have long to play out any more scenarios, however, because her wards were buzzing: they recognized Charlie, but she wanted to be sure nonetheless. "You were the first person I told about my job, even before Bill. And you once told me you wanted to change your middle name to -"

She swung the door open, her icy stare daring him to continue. He grinned. "Theodore."

"Theodora," she said through gritted teeth as she looked past him. "Well?"

"All clear, come on."

She waited until they were far enough away from the inn before changing her hair color back, making Charlie smile, "Good," he whispered and kissed the top of her head, "I hated it." She rolled her eyes at him and put her arm around his waist, pulling him closer to her as they walked towards the Reserve. She wanted to ask him about Jack: had he seen or talked to him? Did he tell him she was there? But she couldn't bring herself to ask; she was too nervous and too anxious.

They made it to Charlie's cabin without running into anyone. Charlie bowed dramatically as he held his door open for her, "You can meet Caterina and the others later."

She pouted as she took a step inside, "Oh, but I wanted to -" her eyes landed on a tall, broad-shouldered, short-cropped blonde _man_. Her mouth hung open.

He was smiling.

His arms enveloped her in an instant, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug as her feet lifted off the ground as he laughed into her hair, silent tears creeping down his cheeks. "Adelaide," he whispered, still holding her close, never wanting to let her go. She hugged him fiercely, her eyes squeezed shut, not wanting this moment to end and too afraid that it was all a dream.

Her arms soon grew tired, however, and tearing her face away from his shoulder she looked into his face. "Jack," she said laughing as she wiped at her eyes with one hand, "you don't hate me?"

He laughed, brushing hair away from her damp face, "Charlie kept my memory, showed it to me while you were at the inn." He set her feet down as she turned to look at Charlie, her hands gripping Jack's arms.

"You - you did?"

Charlie shrugged, scuffing his boot on the floor and rubbing the back of his neck, "Figured it'd be useful to get Jack on our side quicker." He had barely looked back up at them when she nearly launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, her lips frantically searching for his as she whispered over and over again, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Her lips finally found his and she was about to deepen the kiss when Jack coughed behind them. She chuckled, her pale grey eyes dancing as she tugged Charlie's lower lip in between hers, his fingers digging into hips as he groaned softly in annoyance.

He put her down and she turned back to Jack, taking his hand, "Did Charlie tell you about this?"

Jack shook his head, a small smile playing on his face, "Failed to mention that, Weasley."

Charlie shrugged, "Didn't think it was my place. I mean, she's your sister and all." He smiled, "Why don't I whip some food while Adelaide here fills you in on the past few years of her life, yea? And then you can tell us all about what's been going on while we've been searching for dragons." He watched with a smile as Adelaide led Jack to the table and conjured up tea. He heard, "You're all grown up looking!" before busying himself in his small kitchen.

--

Jack filled them in with everything that had been going on: He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named was indeed rounding up Muggleborns; Snape was Headmaster and Ginny was the only Weasley currently in attendance; Ron, Harry and Hermione had run away and no one knew for sure where they were, but they were safe for now; their collective families were safe, doing things for the Order and trying to stay off the Death Eater's radar; Fred and George had to shut down their store; the Quidditch League was on hiatus until further notice; Neil and Cedric were around with Fred and George, doing 'Merlin knows what' for the Order.

Adelaide couldn't help but stare at Jack all throughout their meal to the point where Jack was feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I look older, I know, you've told me. But could you quit staring at me?"

Adelaide only smiled wider, "I haven't seen you in years, Jackie. And look at you! All grown up, taming and researching dragons, with short, man hair! Charlie's right! No one would guess we were brother and sister let alone two-thirds of triplets!"

Jack let out a deep laugh, his stormy blue eyes meeting hers, "You look better than you did in the memory. Like a little lady!" She threw a roll at him and both Charlie and Jack cried out.

"I slaved over those!"

"Oi! It was a compliment!"

They all laughed and Jack turned to his sister, "You do look like a grown up, though. I won't say 'woman' because I'd hate to see Weasley's baking skills go to waste, but you don't look like that scrawny kid from Ravenclaw anymore."

Charlie held up his glass of butterbeer, "Here, here!"

Adelaide laughed, "I look the same as I did 7th year, you twats. I just look a bit healthier and a bit more in shape than I did when I first landed here is all."

After they had finished eating Adelaide sat between the two on the couch, once again holding Jack's hand as though she were afraid she was going to lose him again. She told him about the Ironbelly she and Charlie had to flee and Jack listened intently, commending Charlie on his quick-thinking. "And then, well, we got caught up -"

Jack held up his free hand and closed his eyes, "Please, spare me. Did you forget I'm not Neil?"

Adelaide laughed, "No, I hadn't forgot."

Charlie looked between the two, "Am I missing something here, or," he trailed off as he watched Adelaide's face sober instantly and Jack shake his head.

"No, no. Neil is more, uh, keen on hearing details of everyone's, uh, sordid affairs."

Charlie's ears turned a light shade of pink and he rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, we only kissed, I mean, Merlin, _sordid affair_?"

Adelaide bit her lip in an attempt to keep from laughing at Charlie's horrified and embarrassed face. And Jack shook his head again, his face scrunched as though he were in pain, "I didn't mean it, oh, bollocks. I give you my blessing, blah blah blah, but I don't want to hear about it, nor do I want to see it. As long as you both are happy and all that bollocks -"

Adelaide laid on her head on her brother's shoulder, "Charlie and I are supposedly dating anyway. At least, that's our cover. He won me over with his so-called charm, and convinced me to come back to the Reserve with him."

Jack smiled slyly, "Weasley? Charming?" He pointed at Adelaide's peaceful face to avoid a smack he knew Charlie wanted to give him. "So you and I shouldn't act like brother and sister?"

"We're new chums," she yawned, "but I expect you'll be showing me all your dragons too. I want to meet all of them and learn all about them," she yawned again, "and then, maybe, I can teach you two some tricks."

Jack cocked an eyebrow and looked to Charlie who shrugged. "Tricks?"

She nodded against Jack's shoulder, "A few things I tinkered with at work. Nothing too extravagant yet, but. May help."

The two men were silent as Adelaide's breathing slowed, her head still against her brother's shoulder, her legs curled up on the couch between them. Jack watched as Charlie's smile grew as he watched her sleep. "Neil thought you fancied her."

Charlie's eyes shot up to meet the smiling stormy-blue ones of Jack. "What?"

"World Cup. Said that both you and Cedric fancied her. I ignored him, course, because it's Adelaide. Figured Neil was pulling my leg. I mean, we knew you two were both protective of her, we all were. Not that we needed to be," he rubbed her arm and she nuzzled into his shoulder. "But, since I've been here, and since Neil was already right about Cedric," he shrugged, "figured it was only a matter of time, really."

"I couldn't do anything that summer."

Jack nodded, "I know. She wouldn't have believed you, even if she were ready for a boyfriend or to find out her best friend suddenly fancied her." His smile faded slightly, "But Cedric was good for her too. I was skeptical at first. They tend to get into arguments over trivial things, but Cedric really grew up 7th year," his eyes watched Charlie's drift back to her face, "especially these past two years."

Charlie nodded and looked back up at his friend. "We're not dating. Just seeing where this goes, is all. Neither of us - well, she's not ready. Still trying to figure out her life, and what with the war -"

Jack smiled, "I wasn't accusing you of anything, Charlie. I know you won't hurt her."

"But you think she'll hurt me." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

"Not intentionally. And no, I don't think she'll go running back to Cedric either. She'll need friends more than boyfriends."

"Which is why I'm going to enjoy things while I can. Before we have to go back to England, before the War's over. I'm not going to pressure her into a relationship."

Jack nodded, "I know. And I'm not going to bother with all that 'You hurt her, I hurt you' bollocks either. She'll do more damage than I'd ever be able to do."

They were silent for a few moments before Charlie stood, "I should take her to bed." Jack quirked an eyebrow and Charlie rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, we're supposed to pretend to be dating, and," his gaze avoided Jack's piercing eyes, "well, she'd been having nightmares, but we weaned her off the Dreamless Draught -"

Jack frowned and looked once more at his sister, "Poor kid," he shook his head, "thanks, Weasley."

--

She woke up with a big grin on her face, something that she couldn't get very used to doing. Her brother didn't hate her. She was talking and interacting with people. And she was going to _meet_ dragons. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling Charlie's arm around her waist, his chest strong and warm on her back and her smile only grew bigger: Jack seemed to be okay with whatever it was they were doing and it felt nice to wake up next to someone after two years of barely ever seeing another human being. She could have stayed in that bed for hours without feeling lazy, but what seemed like only seconds later, Charlie stirred, kissing her neck lazily. "Morning," she whispered, not bothering to turn her head.

He kissed lower down her neck now, and she was momentarily glad she was wearing one of his large t-shirts that always seemed to leave a shoulder bare. "Morning," he said, his voice thick with sleep. "Sleep well?"

"Mm," she murmured, closing her eyes as Charlie continued to plant lazy, hot kisses on her neck and shoulder as his hand skimmed over her stomach to her hip. When his warm fingers hit bare skin where his shirt had rode up a little, she shivered slightly. She felt him smile against her shoulder but he didn't say anything to tease her. She would have been embarrassed by her reaction to such a gentle and typical touch, but Cedric had never done something like that out of his own accord. She hadn't always been forced to make the move, but he had never done something like wake up and immediately made her feel wanted and loved and beautiful: and all Charlie had to do was skim his hands over her bare hip and lightly draw circles and kiss her neck and shoulder. She didn't know what it all meant, her reaction and his action, but she didn't care, she didn't want to over think anything.

Opening her eyes she turned to her other side to face him, brushing the hair off his forehead, a small smile playing on her lips. She kissed him briefly on the lips, "Morning."

He grinned, "We've already established."

She pushed his shoulder lightly, "Shush, you. What's on the agenda for today?"

He brought his face close to hers as though he were telling her confidential information. "Well," he ran his fingers through her hair before ghosting his hand down her arm to rest lightly on her waist, "I've already told my girls that you were here so you won't scare them when you come with me." His thumb drew lazy circles on the exposed skin of her waist and he smiled to himself when he could feel her shiver again.

"Did you tell your superiors about me?" Her fingers lightly skimmed down his chest and he bit his check to suppress the moan that was itching to come out.

"Yea," he managed when her fingers finally stopped flitting over his bare chest. He mussed her small smile and the way her eyes feasted on his bare chest. She had been lucky enough to see it multiple times but she couldn't get enough of it. "Told him your name was Chloe."

She looked up at his face, "That's a pretty name."

He smiled, "Fitting for a pretty girl," he tickled her sides, knowing she would try to argue with him: and the _last_ thing he needed right then was for her to be doubting her beauty.

He let her dress and use the bathroom as he set the kettle on his small stove and searched his kitchen for breakfast foods, bidding Jack a good morning when he strode in. Jack wasn't one to change routines so Charlie knew that even though Adelaide was here, and they were whatever they were, Jack would still expect Charlie to make him breakfast, go to the pub occasionally and rotate cooking dinner. Charlie grinned at the younger man as he put a plate of pancakes in front of him, "What did you do when I wasn't here, Hayworth?"

"Didn't eat breakfast," Jack smirked, "still breaking health codes, I see," he nodded towards Charlie's bare chest.

Charlie laughed as he set three mugs of tea on the table and sat down, "What did I do without your sarcasm, Hayworth?"

Adelaide strolled in and kissed Jack's cheek, "You made due with mine, Charles." She sat down and took a sip of her tea frowning slightly, "I had gotten so used to coffee."

"Ah, how could I have been so rude. Jack Hayworth, this is my lovely girlfriend, Chloe Sanford."

Adelaide batted her eyelashes as she shook her brother's hand, "Charlie didn't mention that you were so cute," she giggled and the two rolled their eyes at Charlie who shrugged.

"Perfect."

"What's your profession, Ms. Sanford."

"I just graduated last year, and I really didn't know, so I was backpacking, you know, trying to find myself when I ran into Charlie here –"

"Literally ran into," he laughed so realistically that Adelaide's eyebrows shot up, "she was running from a sleeping dragon."

She crossed her arms and sniffed, "It's not that funny. But Charlie here told me I could learn all about dragons and all sorts of new things," she shrugged, "so I figured I might as well come along – he was desperate and I had nothing better to do."

Jack laughed and Charlie threw his arm around Adelaide gruffly. "You're _hilarious_, aren't you?"

"Seems pretty believable to me," Jack shook his head with a grin as he shoved more pancake into this mouth.

--

Adelaide stood next to Charlie, one hand pulling one of his thick work coats closer to her body as the wind whipped around them, and the other trying not to grip his hand too tightly. She told Charlie she wasn't afraid, but no matter what he said about them being "his girls", they were still fire-breathing, huge, sharp-teethed, talon-bearing, dragons. Caterina, the Catalonian Fireball, was nestled comfortably on the ground in front of her cave, her full attention on Charlie, even as he gestured towards Adelaide. Adelaide didn't listen to what he was saying, too focused on the dragon's eyes, hoping they would give her away before she made any sudden movements.

Charlie tugged on her hand just as Caterina's eyes swiveled towards her. She gulped. "It's, all right, Addie," he whispered, "she's not going to do anything. She won't even get up she's so stubborn and angry that I was gone so long." Adelaide merely nodded, her gaze still on the orange eyes of the dragon. They soon returned to staring at Charlie however, and a few moments later he was leading Adelaide back out of her penned-in area.

He slung his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him as the brisk wind whipped around them and he kissed the top of her head. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" She hoped the wind covered her surely blushing cheeks as she shook her head, not trusting her voice. Charlie waved at a tall man to their right, "Morning, Hans."

The man approached, his dark, long hair held back away from his face with a piece of cloth, "Weasley, welcome back." His gaze flicked to Adelaide. "Pub tonight to celebrate your safe return?"

Charlie grinned, "Hans, this is Chloe, my new girlfriend that I snatched up during my trip."

Hans extended a hearty handshake, his brown eyes wide, "Weasley not only got a girlfriend, but found one willing to live on a Reserve?"

Adelaide smiled, "For now, at least."

Hans laughed, "A lass with cheek?" He nodded towards Charlie, "Exactly what you need, m'boy." He turned back to Adelaide, "I hope you'll join us at the pub, Ms. Chloe? I have a feeling you'll be a fun addition to our normal, boring group."

Adelaide smiled, "I'll try, Hans." They waved as Hans continued on his way.

Charlie pulled Adelaide closer to him again, "Enough dragons for one day, lass?"

Pinching him through this coat would be ineffective so instead she dug her fingers roughly into his side, making him squirm and let out a laugh. "I have a few things I need to do today, but you're more than welcome to stay in the cabin or see what Jack is up to," he stepped in front of her, his eyes no longer twinkling, his mouth no longer curved upwards, "but please don't go exploring on your own. Not that I think you would, but it can be dangerous. Just make sure you're always with me or Jack when you're not in the cabin, yea?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, looked into his eyes and smiled, "Please, Charlie. Don't worry, okay?" She took his hand and started to walk again, unable to ignore Charlie's warmth when he intertwined their fingers and pressed his arm against hers. So far, she was enjoying life on the Reserve.

--

Adelaide hadn't been to a pub since she had last met Remus there before Sirius had died. She tried to ignore the memories of her infrequent and only pub visits as she changed into one of Charlie's clean shrunken flannel shirts. It was just going to be a few of the men from the Reserve and her at a Muggle pub, and Adelaide wasn't nervous to meet Charlie and Jack's co-workers, but she was nervous to be out in public, to be at a pub.

Adelaide had never been one to drink aside from the few times she lost control and could do nothing else to ease the pain of being utterly alone and the few times Remus allowed her to during their meetings. She had only ever had Butterbeer and a few stolen sips of Ogden's Finest during her years at Hogwarts; she and her brothers were never onces to get pissed after a Quidditch win after all. So by the time she was halfway through her second beer, she was acting like her old self around Charlie and Jack's coworkers, finally enjoying herself in public, around groups of people and around strangers.

And Charlie and Jack couldn't do anything but grin widely as they watched her talk animatedly with the others, laughing at their jokes, telling her own, making up stories about her life as Chloe. Jack whispered to Charlie, "Make sure she doesn't get too sloshed," but Charlie could only laugh. They both knew she wouldn't.

She hadn't been around such a large group of boys - _men_ - in years, hadn't talked about Quidditch ad nauseam, hadn't felt like "one of the guys" in what felt like eons. She sat back in her chair, smiling at something Leon was saying. She rather _liked_ being one of the guys again,one of the boys, her gender not playing a role in the way people viewed her. These men were making crude jokes and innuendos that would rival Bill, Neil and the twins, and they never once apologized for saying something in her company. They rarely gave her a second glance, didn't stop to ogle her relatively-flat chest, or to eye her ponytail, her plain face. She was one of them. And she liked it.

Charlie put his arm on the back of her chair, and tugged slightly on the end of her ponytail, "Enjoying yourself, Chloe, darling?" Her eyes twinkled as her lips curved slightly upwards and Charlie smiled, the happiness and normalcy in her eyes nearly made his heart melt. She nodded discreetly and turned back to listen to Leon who was now gesticulating wildly. She liked being one of the guys, but for now, she enjoyed still being treated like the only woman in the world by Charlie.

--

Adelaide had volunteered to get the table another round beers, and was waiting for the bartender when one of the few waitresses approached her. "English too?" The woman asked, her thick Romanian accent evident.

Adelaide smiled, "Yes. Do you know them?" She pointed out to her table.

The girl looked to be barely 16, her eyes dark and innocent, hair dark falling in thick waves over her shoulder as she shook her head. "Just, started?"

Adelaide nodded, "Your English is very good," she smiled encouragingly.

"Are you," she frowned, biting her lip, "marrying them?"

Adelaide suppressed a laugh, "No, I'm dating," she pointed to Charlie, "that one."

"But - you - friends? Too friends?" She frowned again, but Adelaide knew what she was saying as the bartender put the mugs on the table.

"They're nice enough - rough, like all men, but I don't mind - you should be careful, but I can take care of myself." She nodded at the bartender and ignored the girl as she walked back to the table. When she sat back down, she saw the bartender and the waitress whispering conspiratorially at each other, sneaking glances at her as she placed the mugs on the table, attempting a smile.

Jack noticed first, "What's wrong, Sanford?"

She shrugged, still unused to hearing her brother calling her a different last name. "They think I'm some sort of tramp."

Saul let out a roaring laugh and slapped the table and Hans shook his head, "They aren't used to seeing just one girl talking so easily with a group of men, is all. I mean," he waggled his eyebrows, "if you want -"

She shot him an icy glare and he put up his hands in defense, "Weasley, watch out for this one, eh?"

Charlie kissed her cheek, "I think it's you lot that need to watch out."

"It's not that I'm upset," Adelaide said, taking a long drink of her beer, "I'm used to being called such things."

Jack shot her a look which she ignored as Finn leaned his elbows on to the table, "Please, do tell."

She smiled and traced the top of her glass with a finger, "At Beauxbatons I was friends with mostly blokes because the girls were so, how should I put this nicely?"

Finn cut in, "Gorgeous?"

"French?" Saul added, winking at her.

She shook her head with a small laugh, "Let's stick with those adjectives, yes. I wasn't a fan of most of the girls and they weren't a fan of mine. So at one point or another, I was rumored to be dating nearly every one of the blokes in my year or the years ahead. And after my fourth boyfriend, I stopped caring."

Leon cocked an eyebrow, "Only dating?"

"Use your imagination, I probably've heard it," she volleyed back readily, earning a low whistle from Hans.

"Were the rumors ever true?" Leon asked, trying to get a straight answer out of her but she only shrugged.

"This one's a handful, Weasley," Saul laughed, leaning back in his chair and taking another swig of his beer.

Finn winked at her, "If you ever get bored of ol' Red over there," his voice trailed off. She laughed into her drink.

"You speak French?"

She felt Jack's intense gaze on her face, afraid she would freeze, but she was a natural liar and actor. "I was only there for a little more than two years - I was in Australia and America before that."

"Parents' work?" Saul asked seriously. But before she could answer Leon questioned suggestively, "For bad behavior?"

Her mouth twitched in amusement. "What do you think?"

Charlie put his arm around her shoulders, "Oi, leave my girlfriend alone, would you boys? You'll scare away from the Reserve."

"Or into Leon's shack!" Hans laughed earning a smack on the back of the head from Leon.

Charlie moved his chair closer to Adelaide and she leaned her shoulder against him, "You boys got significant others?"

Leon spoke first, "I'm enjoying the single life." Hans slapped him on the back, "He's been enjoying it for 27 years!" They all laughed and Hans continued, "My gal's off with her sick aunt but should be back in a few months. She needed a bit of a break from this lot."

They all continued to tell Adelaide their stories, laughing and teasing one another: Finn had just ended a long-distance relationship with a former Reserve Healer the month before but was hopeful she would come to her senses, and if not, he had his eye on one of the Healers in the nearest Wizarding Clinic; Saul had just started to woe a Muggle a few towns over after his wife of ten years had divorced him; and Adelaide was surprised to hear that Jack had been seeing a female Keeper who had transferred to Australia a few months prior. He avoided her gaze as the men teased him of his occasional owls to a 'mystery gal', of the possibility of getting set up with a Quidditch player, and somehow, despite his lack of open flirtation, being able to snag the unsuspecting Muggle waitresses or barmaids.

They had all but quieted down and Adelaide excused herself to the restroom. She walked to the bar on her way back to the table and was surprised to find Finn there, seemingly waiting for her. He smiled, his dark and unruly hair reminding her of Harry's untidy mop of hair, his deep brown eyes warm as he smiled at her and motioned for her to sit. "It's about time you and I had a hear-to-heart." He handed her a glass and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Weasley and I are pretty close - we started out here round the same time, and we were best mates until Hayworth came. Don't get me wrong, Hayworth's a good mate, a quiet, but smart man. Don't know why he's wasting his time here, really. Bit too smart for his own good, but that's neither here nor there." He took a swig of his beer. "Weasley flirted openly with the barmaids and the waitresses that first year or two when we were here - hell, we all did then. But then he suddenly didn't as much, and we all teased him, saying he had fallen in love with someone, all that nonsense," he shook his head, "but then we were all getting girlfriends or married or what not, and Weasley wasn't. There were plenty of girls around, but Weasley just never seemed interested."

"Why are you telling me this, Finn?"

He frowned slightly, "We're glad he finally found someone to get his mind off whoever he was hung up on is all." His eyes were grave, "But we just want you to know that he may still have feelings for whoever it is," he thought for a moment, peering at her, "but he seems to really like you, Chloe."

Adelaide attempted to keep her eyes from giving away her surprise and confusion and hoped that her smile was sincere, "Thanks, Finn," she stood, "and thanks for the beer." She walked back towards the table and sat next to Charlie, glad he was listening to something Leon was saying and not looking at her as she sipped her beer quietly. But she could feel Jack's gaze on her again and knew that they would be having a long conversation tomorrow about everything that had happened.

When she finished her beer she laid her hand on Charlie's thigh, "I'm getting tired," she said quietly, her head hovering over his shoulder.

He turned his head and kissed her lips chastely. "It is getting late." She nodded and started to stand up, taking his hand. She smiled and waved goodbye to the men as Charlie said, "Well, gentlemen, it's getting late. We'll see you lot tomorrow."

Calls of goodnight (and a catcall, courtesy of Leon), followed them out the pub as they walked, hands intertwined and coats pulled tightly against them as they faced into a light wind. Adelaide contemplated asking Charlie about what Finn had said: was she the reason he never bothered to date any women? She didn't mean to flatter herself, but hadn't he told her he wanted to tell her he had feelings for the past three years? Her stomach tightened. He was more committed to her and for different reasons than she was. If they didn't last past her stint her at the Reserve - could they still be friends let alone best friends?

She cleared her throat and staring straight ahead of her as they walked she said, "Finn said that you haven't had a girlfriend or anything for a while."

Charlie's answer was immediate, "Have you?"

She rolled her eyes, "Charlie, that's hardly -"

"Contrary to what I'm sure Finn led you to believe, there aren't that many women in the area who aren't either irritating, dumb, or," he paused, "the point is, Addie, is that I'm busy here, and I rarely go out to the pubs with the boys for very long anyway. And there have only been a handful of female Keepers on the Reserve anyway. And Jack was lucky enough to date the only single and young one." He squeezed her hand, "I know what you're thinking, and calm down. We're just living in the moment, yea?"

She nodded and leaned her head against his arm as they continued to walk back to the Reserve.

--

He laid awake, his hands behind his head as he stared at the dark ceiling of his cabin, Adelaide's head resting against his side, her arm draped across his stomach. He let out a sigh and looked down at her. He was more invested than he should be and he knew it. But there was nothing he could do about it. He had compared nearly every woman he had met in the past few years to her and he knew that he had probably done that in the past subconsciously. No one was as unknowingly pretty, as brilliant, as athletic, as caring and loyal as she was and he doubted he would ever meet anyone who was more so. But he knew that the possibility of getting his heart broken in the future was worth it if he could spend these few more days, weeks or months with her. He kissed the top of her head. Better his heart than hers.

--

A/N: More soon eventually – I think I might skip directly to the Battle of Hogwarts, but I'm not sure yet……Thoughts?


	16. The Battle

A/N: Ah, so I've had this written for a while actually, I'm not entirely pleased with it, but the chapter was just getting too long if I put all the post-Battle stuff here, so you're going to have to wait a bit for that….please don't forget to review!!!

--

_**Post-Hogwarts:  
The Battle**_

The rest of her time at the Reserve was not as peaceful, carefree or relaxing as her first few. Charlie and Jack had jobs to do, leaving Adelaide to either shadow them or to her own devices: she read through Jack's entire library as well as the few books Charlie and Finn had; she helped stock and restock the small infirmary and did the best she could to assist those who could Heal and attempted to learn all she could from them and she did her best to continue with some of the research she had been doing. This of course was difficult due to her lack of resources on the Reserve, but she managed as best she could.

Jack received letters from Neil who assured his brother of his own safety as well as his concern for Adelaide; she barely held it together as she read Neil's large and loopy penmanship. And Bill wrote to Charlie saying that while he wanted to see him for the holidays, it would be safer to remain in Romania. Charlie had assured Adelaide he was fine, but he went to bed that night early, his body tense when Adelaide slid in behind him.

She kissed his shoulder and rubbed his arm as she whispered, "Charlie, talk to me," against his neck. When he made no move to reply she slipped her limbs away and rolled her back away from him. She shut her eyes tightly as she willed herself to asleep despite her aggravation at Charlie. Didn't he know he could tell her anything even before they were – whatever it was they were doing.

A few moments later she felt Charlie shift. "I just feel like I'm not there for them, like I've run away from the War. What good am I doing _here_ when the fight is in England?"

She turned and was not surprised at the self-doubt and self-loathing she saw in his blue-green eyes and knew he wasn't looking for her to attempt to change his mind. "You can always go back, Charlie."

He frowned, "Can I?"

She knew it was a rhetoric question but answered anyway, "You can do whatever you want. No one is stopping you."

His eyes searched hers: his blue-green eyes sad and hers defiant, knowing full well what excuse he wanted to give her. "_You_ can't come back."

"And I feel awful enough that my only contribution has been to make everyone angry and disappointed. But it would be foolish for me to go back before I'm needed. But if you want Charlie, if you _need_ to, if you won't feel right until you do, you _can_ go back."

"Jack will be here –"

She shook her head, "We both know he'll go with you, Charlie."

"But –" his thumb swiped across her cheek as he brought his face closer to hers, his eyes flicking back and forth between hers.

"I'll be safe here, Charlie. I'll lay low, only talk with Finn when necessary."

Charlie still didn't look convinced. She took his hand, intertwining their fingers and attempting a smile. "Think about it, all right?"

Charlie _did_ think about it, although not when Adelaide was around. Jack knew that Adelaide would be fine for the week or two they would be gone and believed that they would be a great help to the Cause if they visited. He felt just as restless and useless as Charlie did.

So two days before Christmas Eve, Charlie and Jack were finishing up their packing before sharing one more dinner with Adelaide and taking a Portkey early in the morning. Another Christmas alone wasn't going to kill her. Jack walked into the cabin to the sight of Adelaide at the stove and delicious smells wafting towards him. "_You're_ cooking?"

She turned and stuck her tongue out at him as he smirked. "No, Charlie just charged me with stirring."

Jack laughed and kissed the top of her head, "Good. The day I see you cook will be a terrifying one indeed." She hit his arm but frowned when she saw how seriously he was staring at her. "Promise you'll be safe?"

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You'll be in more danger than _me_, Jack." She looked him in the eyes, "Promise _you'll_ be safe? Promise you'll make sure everyone else is safe too?"

He pulled her in for another hug. "Promise," he whispered.

Dinner was a somber affair despite their best effort to keep things light and cheerful. Jack left after Adelaide hugged him tightly and blinked back tears, trying to push the thoughts of this being the last time they see each other out of her head. Charlie wrapped his arms around her from behind as she stood in front of the now closed door. She leaned against him, shutting her eyes tightly. "You'll be fine," she whispered more to herself than to him, "we'll all be fine."

She turned in his arms and pulled his lips down to hers before kissing him with all the passion and despair and worry she was feeling, her fingers clumsily unbuttoning his flannel shirt. He pulled away, breathless, his eyes searching hers, worry evident in his deep blue-green eyes. But there was no mistaking the obvious lust in her eyes, her lips swollen and parted. She looked utterly kissable and thoroughly snogged and all he wanted to do was continue to snog her senseless.

Her fingertips danced across his chest when she finally got his shirt off. He held back a groan when she pulled her lips away from his only to kiss across his chest, her hands skirting over his abs and around to his back as she kissed lower along his chest; her lips found his again. But when he felt her hands not only approach the waistband of his jeans but also attempt to unbutton them he took a step back breathing heavily.

She frowned at him and tried to take a step towards him only to watch him step back again. "Adelaide," he said as sternly as he could his breathing labored and his jeans growing tight around him.

"Charlie," she said softly, "please." She watched him shake his head and she glared at him. "If you _dare_ say it's because I'm a girl, so _help_ me Merlin –"

Charlie was too busy processing what she was saying to notice she had taken another step towards him and slipped her fingers between his belt loops so he couldn't get away. "Adelaide, it's not because you're a woman, I promise."

"Charlie, I've wanted to do this for a while," she kept eye contact with him, something that didn't unnerve Charlie but only made him smile slightly.

Until he understood where she was going with this. "But you don't want to hurt me."

She removed one hand from his belt loops and touched his cheek softly, "Don't say it like that, Charlie."

He nearly lost himself in her pale grey eyes. "I want this too," he rested his forehead against hers, "and I'll try not to get hurt."

She brought her lips to his gently, her lips caressing his; the passion was still there, but it was less desperate and needy. She needed him to know that she did care for him…just not as much as he did for her.

He pulled her hips closer to him and after taking a breath, kissed her jaw. "You sure?" She cocked an eyebrow and with a chuckle, Charlie brought her in for a searing kiss, not wanting to lose any more time. He had this one night with her before he went head-on into a war zone. He'd rather have this one moment with her, with his Adelaide, than to not have any. If in the end, she did hurt him, he could at least look back at this one night.

His hands skimmed across her hips and stomach before pulling her by the shirt towards his bedroom, kissing along her neck as she laughed lightly, her hands wrapped around his neck.

--

She didn't cry when he woke her up before dawn to say goodbye. The kiss was desperate and needy but there were no tears. She didn't cry herself back to sleep. What was there to cry about? Charlie and Jack would be in as much danger as everyone else. There was no reason to cry for them; nor was there reason to cry for her night with Charlie.

She didn't see her virginity as a gift she could only give to her husband but she hadn't planned on giving it away either. Had she had more time with Cedric, or had he not been so preoccupied and nervous with the Tournament, she would have slept with him. Perhaps alone she hadn't given it much thought, but every time she kissed Charlie, the way her body lit on fire every time he touched her, she had wanted nothing more. But she hadn't wanted to _hurt_ him.

She waited until the sun rose before getting out of bed, determined to be productive these few weeks.

--

He threw his bag on the floor and caught her as she threw herself at him, her hands gripping his face as she kissed him quickly and fully on the mouth, her pale grey eyes relieved. "Miss me?" His voice was light and teasing.

She rolled her eyes; "I was bored out of my skull, that's all." She smiled; content to simply stare into his beautiful blue-green eyes. She brushed his golden-red hair away from his face. "It's bad," he whispered, his lips lingering on her cheek, his grip tightening on her slim waist.

"Where's Jack?" She pushed back, leaning over his arms to look for her brother. When he didn't answer she slowly looked back at his face, watching as he swallowed hard.

"He's – he's staying." She nodded slowly and licked her suddenly dry lips. "He's taking a leave of absence."

"Did –" she swallowed, "did you want to stay?"

He forced her to look at him, his finger under her chin, "No," he said firmly, "there's not much I'd be useful with. But they need Healers and Jack's a good Healer." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her into the cabin, "Come on, Addie. Let's eat."

--

The sun didn't rise on May 2. Or that's what it looked like at least. Adelaide woke up, expecting to see the sun's warm rays flitting through Charlie's musty beige curtains, but instead she woke up to a grey and cold cabin. She looked at the clock: 6 am. She slipped an arm around Charlie's waist, sighing and closing her eyes again, perfectly content to wait to wake up until the sun decided to rise. But not a few seconds later she heard a faint pop and when she turned to her nightstand saw the familiar flicker of flame.

Snape.

She sat up immediately and snatched the small piece of parchment off the nightstand, her fingers trembling, her heart racing.

_Hogwarts. Immediately. _

She shook Charlie awake and thrust the note into his hand. He rubbed his eyes, "What? Who sent this?"

"Snape!" She hissed and Charlie bit his tongue to prevent shouting at her that Snape was on the other side, no matter what she chose to believe.

"What does it mean?" His voice was thick with sleep but Adelaide could not mistake the irritation in it; she knew that he, like everyone else, doubted Snape's allegiance.

"It means that something is happening at Hogwarts and we need to go. _Now._"

Charlie sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, tugging his boxers on. Last night had been one of the very few times they had slept together: Adelaide had had a foreboding feeling and insisted, Charlie's inhibitions and possible feelings be damned. "How do you know it's not a trap?"

She flinched at his harsh tone. This was not typical 'Cranky-It's-Too-Early' Charlie. This was irritated and aggravated Charlie. "Why would he wait this long to try and trick me, Charlie?"

Charlie never got to say his retort because there was a pecking sound at the window. Their heads snapped towards the noise and Charlie rose quickly, opening the window and untying the letter from its leg. "Meet at Hog's Head. Battle. Now."

Adelaide swallowed and looked into Charlie's eyes, "Get dressed," she said softly. "The Portkey's in the kitchen."

--

Everything was eerily silent. Had the Portkey rendered her deaf? There was a strange and eerie ringing as she turned about to see the faces of those she hadn't seen in years: Neil. Cedric. Fred. George. Ginny. Ron. Hermione. Harry. A coldness washed over her and despite her anxiety and fear of what that day was going to bring, what bloodshed and what horror, she could not help but feel hopeless. Her worst fear was confirmed. They _hated_ her.

"Charlie?" Ginny's voice was harsh.

Charlie was about to say something in her defense but Adelaide stepped forward, "Don't get mad at him, he _wanted_ to tell you all that I was safe, that I," she swallowed, her gaze flicking to Cedric before landing on Harry, "that I _did_ believe you, that I was working for the Order on Dumbledore's –"

Ron's eyes flashed, "Why should we believe you? You just come waltzing in now?"

Adelaide balked. She never thought Ron, out of all the Weasleys, would be the most hateful.

"I believe her." Neil stepped forward from his place next to Cedric. "I never doubted your allegiance, Addie." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and she let out a dry sob.

Ron was about to retort when there was another CRACK and Percy was standing in the middle of everyone. His eyes landed on Adelaide first. "You're alive?" he breathed and turned quickly towards the rest of the group, "I was working for the Order – feeding them inside information, just like Adelaide was –"

"So we heard," it was George who snapped this time.

"I worked in Department of Mysteries –"

Everyone fell silent, their eyes glued to her face, "I was there when you all were, I fought behind the walls –invisible –"

"I thought I saw stray curses –" Hermione's eyes were wide.

"I was there when the Ministry fell. I barely got out – He wanted what I was working on."

"That's why she came to the Reserve," Jack finished.

"And Percy was able to feed us important information from the Ministry before it fell –"

Harry held up a hand and Adelaide was not surprised at how quickly everyone fell silent and turned towards him, "We can hear all the explanations later, but we," he pointed at himself, Hermione and Ron, "need to go. The rest of you follow Neville or _stay here_." Adelaide watched as he looked pointedly at Ginny. "_Be_ careful."

They made to leave but Adelaide reached out to Harry, "Harry, if I don't – well, I met Sirius. We were friends for a time and he – he really loved you, Harry." He nodded curtly and shook her hand, his grip firm.

"Thanks."

Adelaide nodded. She wasn't afraid of dying, but knew she owed it to Sirius to tell Harry before it was too late. She stood between her brothers, trying to keep her eyes dry. The twins watched, George glaring, as Charlie gripped Percy in a tight hug, "Welcome back, Perce."

Fred looked as though he were about to laugh at the pair, but their reunion was cut short when Neville gathered them together and told them the plan to meet up with the "rest of the troops". Adelaide barely recognized her former tutee and couldn't help but smiling sadly. Soon they were on their way through the portrait, but not before Charlie grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly. She glanced up at him, his blue-green eyes telling her every emotion, fear and thought he could not express verbally at the moment. She squeezed back before letting his hand go. No words were necessary. The Time Turner was heavy on her chest as they walked on.

--

She watched in horror as Fred fell to the ground, the ghost of a smile on his lips, his dead eyes wide. Percy knelt beside him, Cedric frozen in shock behind them. She hesitated. Was she going to use the Time Turner every time one of them fell? Who was she to decide who would be saved?

But than everything seemed to slow down and as she turned, she saw Cedric run in front of her, knocking her back as he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Without a second thought, she pulled the Time Turner out from under her shirt, her pale-grey eyes blazing as she stared coldly at Augustus Rockwood.

Blood pumping through her veins, she snarled as she laid her cold eyes on Rockwood. Their eyes locked but with a maniacal laugh he turned his attention towards Percy, Fred and Cedric, his gaze oblivious to the fact that there were now _two_ Adelaides.

As crazed and vengeful as she was, she was still logical. She let him quietly say the hex, but she silently stupefied him, his hex hit the wall and with a quick flick of her wrist, sent the wall soaring towards Rockwood.

She watched as Rockwood was crushed, undoubtedly dead, underneath the rock pile that was supposed to fall on Fred. She saw the other Adelaide disappear and let out a sound that caused Cedric, Fred and Percy stare at her in shock. "Did you –"

She shook her head and ran past them, "Keep moving!" Remus was struggling to dodge hexes from the masked Death Eater he was fighting when she saw another Death Eater who she did not recognize send a cheap hex to Remus's back. She couldn't _kill_ him, but her hex would keep him immobile and unconscious for hours.

She hadn't felt this alive since her first Quidditch game. The Death Eater's wand flew up into her hand and with a pleased smirk, snapped it in half, looking up just in time to deflect a curse before firing another back.

She looked out over everyone that was fighting: it looked hopeless. They were outnumbered.

She looked around frantically, wondering if she should risk her life and everyone else's to attempt what she had been working on for months, what she hadn't even told Charlie about. It was risky. And if it didn't work – the consequences could be dangerous.

Making up her mind, she spotted Remus and hexing his dueling partner, placed the delicate gold chain in his palm. He looked up at her, his amber eyes wide. "Use it if you need to," she said, smiling sadly. "Tell everyone I love them."

She ran away from him, darting around sparring partners, dodging and sending hexes as she transfigured a bench to hide behind. She heard the roar of a dragon outside and knew Charlie had sent for Finn and Caterina.

She sat behind the bench, still able to see the fighting that was going on within the castle walls as well as heard the fighting outside. Taking a deep breath, she focused.

She emitted an inhuman roar. She could feel them twitch, their wands break, their magic leach out of their bodies, their misery their fears, their twisted thoughts. And with a shuddering gasp, she fell to her side on the cold, stone floors of Hogwarts.

--


	17. Reunions and Relative Normalcy

A/N: PLEASE Review!!!!

--

_**Post-Hogwarts:  
Reunions and Relative Normalcy**_

It had been 3 months since the Final Battle and the Wizarding World was finally picking up the last few remaining pieces.

Hogwarts was scheduled to reopen that September after the Lestrange, Dolohov and other Death Eater estates were donated to the 'Rebuild Hogwarts Fund'. The Quidditch League was hoping to start up that winter and Diagon Alley was once again open and safe for business.

Adelaide was living in St. Ottery with her parents and both brothers as she recuperated before Kingsley Shacklebolt had dropped by in June requesting a private audience. She had kept mum about her involvement in the Final Battle not exactly knowing how to explain what she had done. But sitting on the porch of her childhood home that warm June morning, Adelaide knew she would have to explain to the Minister what she had done.

Kingsley smiled warmly at her, "The Department of Mysteries is still a right mess. Seems _everyone_ who was working there were Death Eaters or have fled the country."

Adelaide balked and Kingsley laughed for a moment before turning serious. "Ms. Hayworth, I know you have no desire to return –"

She interrupted him. "Minister. If you will allow it, I believe the Department could be exponentially better and more useful if it weren't so secretive. It could run just like every other Department. There was scarcely any Dark Magic there and if use allow it to be open, allow the most brilliant of minds –" she noticed Kingsley's smile, "what?"

"If I do this, you'll come back?"

She thought for a moment, "I'll train some new wizards and witches after it's fired and made more public, yes."

"And then?"

She smiled, "Maybe Quidditch?"

He laughed a deep, rumbling, comforting laugh. "Ms. H-"

"Please, Minister, it's Adelaide."

"Ms. Adelaide," he winked, "I will give you full control over the Department of Mysteries but request that you write reports or articles about what research you are doing."

"I think I can do that."

He paused and Adelaide waited, knowing that the moment had come. "Ms. Hayworth, I need to know what happened the day of the Final Battle."

"I don't know what you –"

"Azkaban is nearly empty because all of the known and even unknown Death Eaters died without anyone knowing how. They all seemed to die simultaneously. And yet, those who didn't believe in Voldemort's teachings –" (she knew he meant those like Malfoy and Milton) "survived. You were out for nearly a week at first with almost _no_ detectable magic and then suddenly with more magic than most of us possess." He watched her closely. "And Remus tells me you _created_ a Time Turner. From scratch."

She shifted slightly in her seat. "Yes, that's true." She made no motion to continue.

She watched Kingsley stand and move to lean against the railing to look out over the open field. "I know you were able to kill all of them, Adelaide. I want to know _now_. You deserve the proper commendation."

She shook her head, "No, no. I didn't do it for the awards or the press."

"Neither did Harry," he turned towards her. "We can wait a few months or years to tell the Public and award you a First Order of Merlin," he paused as she watched her pale eyes widen in horror, "but I need to know."

She bit her lip. "I didn't actually know if it was going to work –" she looked at her hands that were braced on her knees. "I – I had, um, thought about it, researched some similar subjects but had never really attempted it." She paused and drew in a deep breath, unaware that Kingsley had sat back down and was now leaning towards her to listen. "I focused and became attuned to all of the dark magic, all of the dark, twisted thoughts," her voice wavered and her hands shook slightly as she hastily clasped them together on her lap, "and I – I _destroyed_ them." Her voice was nearly a whisper as her pale grey eyes looked up to lock on Kingsley's dark brown ones. "I don't know _how_, exactly, Minister. But I _drained_ them of their magic – only those true followers of Voldemort – and then drained them of their lives. And they fought back," she swallowed hard, "they could _feel_ it."

Kingsley's mouth hung open slightly, "You brought nearly a hundred Death Eaters to their knees at once. Just by using your _mind_."

She nodded slowly.

Kinglsey moved to continue when Neil came out to the porch, "Excuse me, Minister, Percy sent an owl for you –"

He stood and shook Adelaide's hand, "Thank you for your time, Adelaide. Whenever you're ready, the Department of Mysteries will be waiting for you."

That had been nearly two months ago. And now, here she was, Head of the Department of Mysteries, showing her three new employees around the new and improved Department.

She said goodnight to Paolo, Charlotte and Ben as she walked into the atrium to meet up with her dad and Mr. Weasley before heading back to St. Ottery for Jack and Charlie's going-away barbeque. They had remained to aid in the clean up, but could no longer put off their return to the Reserve.

She and Charlie had _not_ continued their relationship after the Battle, neither having the energy nor the heart. Charlie had been a wreck the first two days she had been unconscious, but had to pull himself together for the sake of his family and for the Wizarding World. And when she had _finally_ woken up, he knew that she needed to mend her relationships with everyone else and a secret romance with Charlie would not be the way to do that.

They were able to keep up appearances at first before eventually falling into their old, pre-war routine. It had killed Charlie at first to see Adelaide so weak and vulnerable, but that lasted only a few days: in no time she was acting as strong and cheerful as anyone could be expected to.

Her relationship with the twins was the quickest to mend: they had pranked her the day she was released from St. Mungo's and had continued to tease, prank and laugh at her these three months just as they had used to. They had stuffed her pockets with their products the first time she walked into their store, despite her ardent protests and confession that she had contemplated sending them a Howler for not completing their education. But when Fred had showed her some of the complex potions he was using, she kissed both their cheeks and gladly accepted a few choice products.

She and Percy said very little about what had taken place before the Battle, but there was no need: they both understood each other. There was no need for words. Their relationship was more reserved, although Percy now laughed with Adelaide almost as much as he laughed with the twins.

Bill and Fleur acted as though Adelaide had been around those few years and Fleur was quick to tell her all about the wedding, ignoring the last bit about the Death Eaters of course. She got along splendidly with Fleur, something that Ginny was grateful for: as much as she _tried_ to like her sister-in-law and as much as she _wanted_ to, the young red-head could only take so much.

Harry had made Ginny see sense and after a while, she warmed up to her old friend. She didn't snap at her or ignore her as she had in the beginning and Adelaide was hopeful that one day soon they could be good friends again.

The Golden Trip all had reacted differently to Adelaide.

Harry had visited her as soon as he heard word that she was awake and showed her Snape's memories. "I wish someone had believed you, Adelaide," his emerald green eyes were sad as he sat at her bedside. "But he's happy, I think. He did what he believed he had to. He'll have a hero's funeral and I'll do everything in my power to make sure he's remembered as a hero." Harry had vanquished Voldemort, a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders and yet he still felt a duty to those who had died and those, like her, who's allegiances were still being questioned. She and Harry had become good friends almost immediately.

Like Harry, Hermione was quick to forgive someone she admired and who she knew had only been following orders. She had visited Adelaide nearly as soon as she was released from St. Mungo's to ask her about the Department. Adelaide had been surprised at first that Hermione was _not_ one of her three trainees, but she was positive the young girl would be a frequent visitor to the new Department of Mysteries.

Ron, like his sister, was not as quick to forget and was more stubborn and vocal in his anger towards Adelaide. He had been smacked multiple times by his mother and the twins, but this, nor the lectures from Harry or Hermione would make him see the truth. It wasn't until Neville, who visited one day, told Ron to "Grow the bloody hell up" did he begin to say hello and stop snorting at her.

But it was her relationship with Cedric that looked strained beyond repair. Cedric had virtually ignored her these three months. He spent long hours at St. Mungo's where he was sharpening his technique, hoping to climb quickly to a higher position in a short amount of time. Neil, who saw Cedric the most, said that Cedric had basically through himself into his work, determined to be successful.

But her strained and fractured relationship with Cedric was something she tried not to dwell on. She had attempted to apologize to him to explain everything, but it had only ended in hot tears on her part and a stone cold icy silence on his. The mere thought of his cold, angry hazel eyes made her tense and forlorn.

She arrived at the Weasley's backyard with her father and Arthur to cheers from the twins. "We thought you were never to make it in time for pie!"

"My galleons were on you arriving before Percy –" Bill winked at her before pulling her in for a gruff hug.

"So there goes lunch tomorrow," Fleur finished, saying hello to Adelaide with a peck on each cheek.

She was chatting with Tonks and Hermione, little Teddy laughing in her arms, when Cedric Apparated in to cheers of "Quidditch match, Diggory!" Adelaide turned and saw Cedric's face light up with a huge grin, something she hadn't seen in years. She pressed her lips together fearful that she too might grin, or worse, laugh. But when he smiled like that it only made her _hope_ that one day everything could go back to the way it was…

She turned around, her eyes wide as Tonks smiled, "I said 'Here, I can take Teddy so you can go play'." Adelaide grinned and with a quick kiss on the top of his currently turquoise head ran to jump on Neil's back.

He groaned, "Oi! You're heavy!"

"Pick me! Pick me!" She teased.

He pretended to think for a moment, "I _don't_ know…"

Bill volunteered to sit out and attempted to hex Charlie who teased him for being "too old". Adelaide, Jack, Neil, Charlie and George rose into the air laughing as they waited for Harry's team to join them. Adelaide couldn't stop grinning. She hadn't played Quidditch with this many people in ages. Everyone had been busy cleaning up Hogwarts, reestablishing their world and recuperating to play a friendly pick-up game like this. Harry, Ginny and Neil had all begun their professional training two weeks prior, after Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron had received their Honorary Hogwarts diplomas. The regular season was to begin that winter.

Bill released the snitch and with a gleeful shout, Adelaide raced towards the Quaffle, just able to snatch it from Ginny's fingertips.

The sun had nearly set by the time Harry caught the Snitch. Jack shook his hand, "That's why _you're_ the professional."

Ginny landed next to Adelaide and clapped her on the shoulder, "You weren't half bad, Hayworth," she winked.

Ron grumbled but couldn't hide his smile, "Seems like you've still got some tricks up your sleeve there, Addie."

She grinned at him, too pleased to respond. Everyone teased her or complimented her except for Cedric. His ignoring of her was painfully obvious.

They sat down to eat and Mrs. Weasley once again began to plead Charlie to reconsider his decision to go back to Romania. He only rolled his eyes, "Mum, I love my dragons and I love my job."

Mrs. Weasley turned to Jack, "You too, Jack dear, I wish you would stay. It's just so dangerous. Dragons!" She turned unexpectedly towards Adelaide, "You were there, Adelaide dear, weren't you? Is it safe?"

She nearly chocked on her butterbeer, a blush creeping up her cheeks: no one had really mentioned her time on the Reserve with Charlie and Jack. "Um, well, I wasn't there for _long_, but yea. They seem to know what they're doing."

"Are there women there? Will my Charlie finally meet someone there to bring home?"

It was impossible for everyone _not_ to see the matching blushes on her and Charlie's faces. "Well, Keepers and Healers come and go, Mrs. Weasley and I'm sure one day Charlie – and Jack – will meet, uh, someone who –"

"I'm gay."

Adelaide's mouth hung open as everyone's attention snapped towards Neil who had stood up at his place beside his sister. He was grinning, looking around at everyone's shocked faces.

"You're – you're –" Bill sputtered.

"Like _boys_?" Cedric finished, his face pale, his hazel eyes wide.

Ron's fork still hovered in front of his mouth although his food had long fallen off.

Neil shrugged, "Was going to tell everyone after we left Hogwarts, but then this bloody war started and I figured we didn't need _one_ more thing for the Prophet to go on about," he winked at Adelaide, hoping to prove to both her and herself that he was actually as confident as he looked.

Fred let out a laugh and clapped, "Well done, Neil! Makes some sense I suppose. I always thought you were eyeing me a bit when we went swimming."

Charlie laughed and turned to Jack, "Merlin, you nearly slipped up a few times."

Sara stood and walked around the table to give her song a hug, "Your father and I rather figured." Ray shook his son's hand and winked. "My son, the first outed professional Quidditch player."

Neil grinned and turned when Mrs. Weasley wiped her eyes and said, "I want you to find a boyfriend _straight_ away, Neil!"

Everyone laughed and raised a toast to Neil whose storm grey eyes were shining.

Ron, however, broke the mood with an ill-timed, "Merlin, you've seen me starkers!"

Hermione, however, beat Fred to the punch and smacked him up side the head. "Who said he _liked_ it, Ronald?"

Adelaide put her arm around Neil and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks," she whispered before saying, "feels good, doesn't it?"

He grinned and nodded before turning his attention towards Cedric and Jack. Adelaide looked out around the table glad to see everyone was so accepting of her gay brother. Her eyes landed on George who was the only one not laughing or chatting loudly; he was instead staring at his plate and pushing his food around.

--

Everyone had begun to filter home, wishing Charlie and Jack good luck as they promised to visit again soon. Adelaide let out a tired yawn from where she was saying goodnight to Remus and Tonks when Charlie put an arm around her shoulders, "Someone's a bit tired."

She wrapped an arm around his waist and yawned again, not protesting when he led her to a bench on the edge of the garden away from everyone else. "Neil was fantastic," he whispered.

She laughed, "I'm going to repay him somehow, don't worry." She looked up at him, "We're okay, right?"

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head, smoothing down her dark blonde hair. "Yes, we're okay, Addie." He tugged on a bit of her hair, "It wouldn't have worked out –"

"But –" she protested.

"Addie, I know you were getting fed up with me and I know I was getting fed up with you."

"Oi!" She laughed and smacked his arm.

He shook his head ruefully, "We've been friends for too long, Addie. Merlin," he chuckled, "I watched you grow up! I watched you stick up for yourself and for your friends, I watched you play dirty, I watched you apologize to our family and friends and I've watched them treat you like shite these past few months," he held up a finger, "don't you argue with me. Ron and Ginny were being right shites and Cedric is being a royal prat. I love you, Adelaide Hayworth. But I think our little, uh, experiment, was a bit circumstantial. I don't think we could have lasted."

Adelaide smiled; she couldn't have said it better herself. "Best friends?" She held her hand out for him to shake.

"Best friends," he agreed.

--

Adelaide was reading the _Daily Prophet_ and sipping her tea when Neil walked sleepily into the kitchen. She put her paper down with a snap. "You're up before noon!"

He groaned and blindly looked for a mug. "Early practice," he mumbled.

She rolled her eyes and picked up her paper, waiting for him to fully wake up before attempting to hold an _actual_ conversation with him. She had thanked him last night for interrupting her lame attempt at keeping everyone _else_ in the dark about her and Charlie. The triplets had stayed up late, laughing and chatting in their pajamas, celebrating their final night living under the same roof.

When she decided that he looked more awake she asked, "Are you and Cedric still going to share a flat?"

Neil eyed her over his cup, his golden blonde hair sticking up at odd angles that resembled the Great Harry Potter's Infamous Mess. His eyes did not reveal his sympathy for her, nor were they accusatory. "As long as I promise to use Silencing Spells if I bring some bloke back." She merely rolled her eyes before turning back to her paper. But Neil could see that she was no longer reading. "Look, I think it would be _swell_ if we could all bunk together, but," he shrugged, "who knew Cedric would be so bloody _stubborn_."

Adelaide looked back up from her paper smiling, "No, it's _fine_. I wouldn't want to live with my _brother_ anyway."

"Maybe Ginny – "

Adelaide waved a hand, "I'll find a flat eventually." She stood up from the table, grabbing her Muggle bag and robe. "Have fun at practice!" She threw Floo Powder into the fireplace and Flooed to the Ministry without looking back at Neil who was frowning into his tea.

--

Adelaide couldn't have been happier with her three co-workers: they were all so eager to begin their research that they insisted they only needed one day of orientation. She watched as they dispersed with a smile: _that_ was why she hand-picked them herself. Well, aside from the fact that they represented three of the most brilliant, creative and stable minds of all of the applicants. There had only been 20 applicants, but Adelaide (and Kingsley) were positive that once word got out about the "new and improved" (and "less terrifying" Neil had joked) Department of Mysteries, applications would soon be piling up.

She whistled to herself as she walked to her office, her robes open, glad she had enforced a casual work environment as she readjusted her belt. The office was light and airy and _bright _considering it was once in the dark and eerie Ministry basement. The entire Department now had pale blue walls, a soothing color that was compliant towards learning: but when someone was stuck with their research, the walls would turn a pale green, a color compliant towards creativity. Her office was made up entirely of windows: she wanted to be approachable, wanted to see the entire Department from her desk. Whoever would one day take her place could easily transfigure the large floor-to-ceiling windows into thick, sound-proof walls. She left her door open as she sat at her completely uncluttered and clean desk. No memos, no 'to-do' lists, nothing. She leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh.

This was much better.

A voice filtered in through her office, "The Minister here to see you, Madame Hayworth." Adelaide rolled her eyes at the invisible elevator voice. She _hated_ that title and had attempted numerous times, all in vain, to get the voice to call her simply 'Adelaide' or at the very least 'Ms. Hayworth'. Kingsley walked in a few moments later, waving to Paolo and Charlotte as he walked by them, "Good morning Ms. Krueger, Mr. Rossi, hope all is going well." He shook Adelaide's outstretched hand and sat in one of the comfortable chairs. "Good morning, Ms. Hayworth."

"Minister," she smiled and sat down. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

His mouth twitched. He had heard that Adelaide Hayworth was well-loved by everyone, was a fantastic Quidditch player and nearly as-smart-as or maybe even smarter than one Ms. Hermione Granger. Kingsley was not disappointed: Adelaide had not only lived up to her reputation (which had been established by Dumbledore and Snape before their deaths, McGonagall, her brothers, parents, the Weasleys, Remus, Harry and Hermione, as well as the _Daily Prophet_) and so far she was the most capable Department Head that _he_ had appointed. If his only legacy was that he permitted Adelaide Hayworth to revamp and breath new life to the Department of Mysteries, he could die happy. But Kingsley Shacklebolt was not one to fret about his reputation.

"How are your trainees working out?"

She smiled, "Already flying, boss."

"Place looks great."

She nodded and leaned back in her chair, "Not nearly as scary as it once was."

"How many employees do you think this place could handle?"

She leaned forward and placed her arms on her desk, cocking an eyebrow as she thought, "Depends on how much the Ministry is willing to pay said employees." She paused, "Was there a certain project you wanted researched or completed? I doubt we need 10 people working on side unnecessary projects."

Kingsley nodded, "Your employees have specialities I assume?"

"Not specialities so much as _interests_. They were all top three of their year at Hogwarts, or in Paolo's case, Beauxbatons. They excelled in all or most of their subjects but they all have different ideas for things they want to study. Charlotte is starting to look into the science behind prophecies, an issue that I think could really publicize the new Department, considering all the prophecies that were destroyed and the importance Harry's prophecy played on Voldemort," she hesitated. "Am I boring you yet, Minister?"

Kinglsey only smiled, "Not at all, Ms. Hayworth. I'm only trying to get a feel for how we're going to run this place."

Adelaide shrugged, "Depends on what you'd _like_ for us to do. If a Department wants answers, wants us to _create_ something, we might need _more_ employees," she smiled and leaned back in her chair. "Depends on the Higher-Ups."

There was a knock on the frame of the door and an apologetic Hermione was standing there, "Oh, pardon me, Minister, I was just hoping to talk with Adelaide, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Adelaide stood, "Hermione, please, please come in! The Minister and I were just suggesting a proper way to, in simple terms, _run_ this place."

Kingsley smiled at Hermione, "Still running into problems in the Enforcement Department?"

Hermione sat down frowning, "If by 'problem' you mean 'narrow-minded, conservatives who are fearful of _change_' than yes."

"Well, Ms. Granger, I assure you Ms. Hayworth's Department is _anything_ but conservative."

Hermione looked up at the Minister before turning to Adelaide, "Yes, I was going to tell you that you've done a wonderful job here! It looks nothing like I remember it."

Adelaide smiled, "Thanks, Hermione. I was worried that there would be an uproar, but it seems like people were either unaware of the Department of Mysteries or were too fearful to care much for it," she shrugged. "Our new goal is for no one to go mental from working here."

They all looked up when they heard voices coming from the open room. "Ah, Percy! What brings you down here?"

Percy stood in the doorway of her office and turned to thank Charlotte for her help in navigating the floor. "Looks great, Addie." He pushed his horn-rimmed glasses back up his nose, "Ah, Kings – Minister," he corrected himself, "the _Daily Prophet_ is waiting. They claim to have had an appointment," he trailed off obviously skeptical of the store the reporter had told him.

Kingsley smiled, "Ah, yes, yes. I _did_ tell them I would say a few words on a plethora of things." He stood, "Ms, Hayworth, thank you for speaking with me, I hope to speak with you again soon. Ms. Granger," he nodded.

Adelaide stood to shake his hand, "Ah, Minister, I have an interview with the _Daily Prophet_ scheduled for later this afternoon, do you want one of your assistants there to monitor –"

"I trust you, Ms, Hayworth. It is _your_ department, is it not?" He winked and followed Percy out before she could argue.

Adelaide fell back into her chair, a dazed look on her face. She swept her shoulder-length hair away from her face and stared at Hermione, "Did he just call it _my_ Department?"

Hermione smiled at the older girl as she sat back in her own chair, "You _did_ put a lot of work into it."

Adelaide nodded, "I _did_, but Merlin. I'm only 20. And already _running_ my own Department?"

Hermione was positively grinning now, "_Just_ hit you, did it?" Adelaide's pale eyes stared at Hermione, still bewildered. "Well, you _did_ create a Time Turner completely from scratch. Not to mention what you did at the Battle –"

Adelaide's eyes widened, "You – you know about the Time Turner?" She swallowed, "_And _the Battle?"

"Remus let it slip about the Time Turner, but only to me, and the Battle I rather pieced together."

"I don't know how I –"

Hermione nodded, "You don't need to explain it to me, Adelaide. I'm merely _impressed_." She smiled shrewdly, "And I hope we'll never need to have you do something like that again."

Adelaide stared at the younger girl, "Hermione, I can not tell you _how_ pleased I am that we're friends." She smiled as the younger girl blushed slightly. "Now, please tell me to what do I owe the pleasure of having the brightest and bravest witch of her age in my humble Department."

She fidgeted slightly in her chair, "I was rather hoping I could get a tour?"

Adelaide stood up and clapped her hands, "Of course, of course! Let's get _right_ to it! First of all, this is an informal tour so I _insist_ that you take off your robes!" She took off her own robes and walked around her desk. "This, of course, is _my_ office. And you'll notice it's keeping with the open, simple and airy vibe." Hermione grinned as she stood to follow her tour guide out of her office.

Hermione kept Adelaide on her toes during their tour wanting to know all of the changes she made, what she hoped the Department would accomplish, why she felt there needed to be a change. "Are you _sure_ you're not an undercover reporter?"

Hermione blushed and apologized but Adelaide only laughed, "I'm glad _someone's_ asking these questions. Kingsley really just let me do whatever I want –"

"But you _like_ explaining," Hermione finished.

Adelaide grinned, "Exactly! The individual Chambers were such an archaic idea and those brains didn't help us understand _anything_, so that's why we have one large open floor." She paused when they reached the far corner of the floor. She eyed Hermione warily, "No one has seen this part." Hermione cocked her head, her interest piqued. "You promise you won't judge me or report me?"

Hermione frowned, her brown eyes worried, "_Report_ you?"

Adelaide waved her hand and a dark door appeared before them. With a steadying breath she opened the door slowly and Hermione sucked in a breath.

"I haven't touched it," Adelaide whispered as she stood frozen outside the room. "I haven't been able to go in. But I couldn't destroy it without –"

Hermione looked at Adelaide, her brown eyes examining her face. She was only a few centimeters taller than the girl who was barely three years older than her, but at that moment, she looked decades older. "You told Harry you knew him."

Adelaide continued to stare into the room, the Veil eerily fluttering in the otherwise still room. "Remus brought us one weekend, Sirius was in his Animagus form, to a forest. Remus had been meeting with me once every few weeks, on Dumbledore's request, and knew how much of a mess I was, thought Sirius could help. We got along well. He understood better than Remus what I was going through." Her voice was barely a whisper and Hermione had to strain to hear her. "He started to write to me – through Muggle mail, in code – and we were penpals for a few months before," she trailed off, swallowing hard. "He was the only one I talked to except for Remus those few times. And then after," she took a deep breath, "I didn't see Remus until the Battle."

Hermione put her hand on Adelaide's shoulder, "Adelaide, I know it's not my place, but," she hesitated, "you can't let this room control you."

Adelaide turned to her, her lips pulled into a tight smile, "I know, Hermione. I'm not going to," her eyes pleaded with her, "but I need to _try_."

--

Adelaide finally convinced Hermione to let her buy a quick lunch at one of the new cafes on Diagon Alley, hoping to ask the girl what her plans were. She had quite unexpectedly taken the early, honorary degree, choosing not to start her 7th year this fall. Nor had she followed Ron to the Auror Department. When they sat down to eat, Hermione admitted that she could not easily decide what she wanted to do. Heal? Promote rights for the otherwise underrepresented? Research? Did she want a desk job or would she rather be an Auror or travel?

Adelaide smiled at the girl, "Why do you have to pick just _one_?"

Hermione looked confused, "You mean, somehow combine or –"

"Well," Adelaide started, "you could poke around different departments, shadow people, maybe work part-time until you pick one thing to focus on. And you aren't _stuck_ with that decision. You can always change jobs or departments can't you?"

Hermione thought for a moment as she stared at her now empty plate. "Do you not plan on staying with the Department of Mysteries?"

Adelaide shrugged, avoiding Hermione's penetrating stare. "I hadn't exactly planned on returning to it either. I'll stay as long as I'm happy with what I'm doing or researching things that will help people." She stirred her ice water with her straw, "As long as I look forward to going to work, I'll be okay."

Hermione nodded, "That's really the most helpful thing anyone's said to me."

Adelaide smiled slightly, "I do what I can, Hermione." Her smile grew, "Just remember, you'd have free reign over any research you'd want to conduct."

Hermione smiled ruefully as they stood up, "Thank you for lunch – and for the tour. You really didn't need to take so much time out of your day –"

"Oh, please! It was my pleasure! I was actually going to stop in and see the twins if you want to come?"

Hermione bit her lip as she thought for a moment, her eyes traveling to the sandwich counter. "Should we bring them lunch?"

Hermione and Adelaide walked into a nearly-packed WWW ten minutes later, watching their step as they navigated around giddy children and harried parents. Hermione laughed as she placed a sandwich in front of Fred who was helping George man the register. Adelaide watched as the twins' eyes light up, "You two shouldn't have!"

"Verity! Blaine! Man the register!" They led the girls to the back room. "What brings you two here?"

"Bearing gifts no less!"

George sat down and bit into his sandwich dramatically as Adelaide rolled her eyes, "Hermione here popped by, wanted a tour and I convinced her to let me buy her lunch."

Fred raised his eyebrows, "And you felt obligated to buy _us_ lunch too?"

Adelaide saw Hermione's cheeks flush slightly out of the corner of her eye, "It's idea. I would never have been that generous. I just wanted to swing by and say hello, ask if you know of anyone looking for a flatmate."

Hermione frowned, "What about Neil and –" she paused as realization dawned on her, "oh."

Adelaide shrugged, "I was hoping for a roommate who currently doesn't hate me."

George and Fred shared a look, "Ginny's still at home –"

Hermione frowned, "We've talked about getting a flat, but –"

Adelaide smiled and patted the girl on the arm, "Please, I don't want to impose, and anyway, I would become far too jealous of all the time Ginny would be spending on the pitch and of whatever career you pick."

Fred cocked an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Harry and Ron would be _horrid_ to live with –"

"Percy?"

"I don't think your Mum would like Percy and I sharing a bed."

Fred shuddered, "Oh, right."

"Grimmauld Place?"

Adelaide laughed, "And disrupt such a cute and wonderful family?" She saw Hermione's eyes dart to her face sympathetically before turning back to the twins who were alternatively eating and thinking out loud. "Verity's shacked up with that new boyfriend of hers –"

"What about those girls from Ravenclaw?"

"Cymbelia's in Edinburgh and Norah's living with Ewan."

George cocked his head, rubbing his chin as he leaned back in his chair, "We do have that extra bedroom –"

Adelaide frowned, "Boys, I didn't mean to impose –"

Fred waved a hand, "Nonsense! We'd love for third roommate."

George nodded, "I do hate cooking." He smiled, "And since Diggory's still got a stick up his arse, we'd be glad to rent out the extra room for our dearest –"

"-And closest friend."

Adelaide frowned, "Are you two sure?"

They both stood and wrapped her in a hug, "We insist!"

"And Mum can't say it's indecent since you'll have your own room."

Adelaide's grin couldn't get any wider, "You two are _too_ nice."

Hermione laughed at the three of them before hitting her forehead, "Merlin, I nearly forgot! Ron's planning some sort of birthday drink for Harry's birthday tomorrow evening. You'll come, won't you?"

George looked skeptical, "_Ron's_ planning it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes but Adelaide laughed, "On behalf of my new roommates, I'll accept the invitation!"

Hermione grinned but her eyes darted to a drawing on the desk she was leaning against and picked it up, her eyes darting across the page quickly, "Did you design this?" Her eyes darted up to Fred.

He nodded hesitantly, "Are you going to go all prefect on me, Granger?"

"I _was_ going to compliment such a design," she said haughtily, "but if you're going to insult me like that," she trailed off, her eyes glancing over the page again.

Fred stood up from his sandwich and flitted through some other papers on his desk before handing her another, "Please, please, commend away! I was only kidding of course."

George and Adelaide rolled their eyes at the same time and both had to bite back a laugh as Hermione and Fred continued their conversation, completely oblivious to everything else. "So, roomie," Adelaide started.

"Crazy night last night, huh," George blurted out. His voice, Adelaide noticed, had altered slightly. "What with Neil and all. Did you, uh, know?"

"He told me in 5th year. Told Jack a few weeks later," she watched George nod as he chewed. "He was more nervous than I think he led on last night, but you know Neil," she laughed.

"Everyone took it pretty well."

She smiled, watching him carefully, "He's still the same, isn't he? Doesn't change much." She stood up, "I should head back to the office. But I'll come round soon to figure out when I should move in, that okay?"

George coughed, "Yea, yea, that's fine. We'll be here more likely than not."

She winked and nodded towards Fred and Hermione before whispering, "When these two are done _flirting_ tell them I said goodbye."

George let out a laugh as Adelaide nearly skipped out of the store.

--

Adelaide ran to the pub straight from the Ministry as she was running late: Charlotte had had a major breakthrough in her research. Her sandals slapped loudly against the cobblestone as she rounded a corner, her ponytail bouncing wildly. Fleur was the first to greet her as she walked through the door; her perfectly pouty lips were frowning, "Adelaide, dear, don't you own a dress?"

She looked down at the slightly-too-big khaki shorts she was sporting that hit at about mid-thigh and shrugged as she smiled up at Fleur; Fleur was lucky Adelaide liked her, knew she meant well, and was already in a good mood. "They're perfect for work," she waved at Bill who was approaching them, "and no, there is no one I plan on impressing at work."

Fleur let out a dramatic sigh, "Will you please let me take you shopping?"

"Why? I have enough clothes?"

Fleur took her by the arm, "You're lucky you look so pretty without make-up, Adelaide, darling."

Fleur led her to the table, completely bypassing Bill. Harry stood up to greet her and Adelaide grinned, "Happy Birthday! I didn't know what to get the 'Boy-Who-Has-Everything'" she mocked but Fleur interrupted.

"Look! Hermione and Ginny are wearing dresses! You'll need a dress for a date or a Ministry Ball or something, won't you?"

Neil coughed and pulled Adelaide down, to the empty seat next to him but Adelaide only smiled at Fleur, completely ignoring Cedric's hate-filled gaze on them. "If such a situation arises, Fleur, you'll be the very first I call for help."

Satisfied with this answer, Fleur sat down next to her husband and Percy, of all people, attempted to lighten the mood. And surprisingly, he was rather successful. "Someone's the newest _Daily Prophet_ darling," he shoved that day's paper into her hands as everyone laughed.

"Our new flatmate's famous!" George batted his eyelashes prettily at her.

"Can I have a signed copy?" Ginny winked at her and Adelaide let out a surprised laugh.

"Not over your face of course," Neil nudged her and Adelaide blushed as her photographed self shrugged and grinned again. She threw it over the table back to Percy.

Fred laughed, "We've all got copies, Madame Mysteries."

Adelaide groaned, "They _didn't_," she grabbed the copy back and skimmed over the front page, "I told Paolo not to call me that in front of the reporter!"

Neil waggled his eyebrows, "Paolo?" Ron looked horrified as Ginny snorted.

Adelaide rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, throwing the _Daily Prophet _back on the table, "One of my colleagues. Happily married. And 35."

Neil let out a dramatic sigh and the conversation turned back to Harry's birthday. Adelaide looked around the table again but hadn't yet reached Cedric when Remus and Tonks strolled in to cheers.

Tonks wished Harry a happy birthday before making her way to the bar as her husband stood behind Adelaide, "Ah, I see we've already discussed the article?"

Adelaide covered her face with her hands but laughed when she felt a few sprinkles of liquid and looked up to see a sheepish Tonks holding one empty glass and one full one. Remus rolled his eyes playfully, "Did you get showered, Adelaide?"

She laughed and took the full glass out of Tonk's hand with a wink, "Nope, thanks!"

Soon others started showing up, including Neville and a few of Harry and Ron's other yearmates and they all dispersed from the table, talking in groups along the bar or at smaller tables. Adelaide was chatting with the twins and Remus over a few pints about how she planned on "ruining" their flat. Fred was describing some horrid floral pattern he had seen at his Aunt Muriel's that he was certain Adelaide would just adore when Ron clinked his glass.

"Ah, now that the entire Quidditch League seems to be here," he said ruefully to a few cheers, "I just want to wish Harry a happy birthday - glad you made it to 18, mate."

Everyone raised their glasses, "Hear, hear!"

Fred excused himself from their group and Adelaide watched, surprised, as he struck up conversation with Hermione and a man she assumed to be a Quidditch player. Remus looked at her with raised eyebrows. They both watched as the unknown man walked off as Hermione laughed at something Fred was saying. "Did I miss something?"

Adelaide turned to her former professor, "I was going to ask you the same question." She glanced at George who was nursing his pint and looking out over the crowd and clearly not entirely enjoying himself. She shrugged at Remus and slung her arm around George's shoulder as she too looked out across the pub. "See anything you like out there, Weasley?"

He sputtered, "Pardon?"

"What? Isn't that how you blokes talk?"

George looked at her incredulously, "I might have to rethink you as a roommate. You're off your rocker."

Adelaide laughed, "Come on, look, I'm your mum, right and I just want you to be happy, right? So, let me help you find a nice bird, yea? My first good dee as your flatmate, right?" She looked out at the pub's occupants, "Ah, well, seems like Harry - or Ron - only know _male_ Quidditch players."

"Really, Adelaide," George smiled at her, but she noted that it didn't exactly reach his eyes, "I'll be all right."

Three beers down she found herself leaning her back against the bar and laughing at a joke Scott, one of Harry's teammates had told. Neil sidled up alongside her not more than 10 seconds later, "Ah, hello gentlemen, I should have known my sister would be surrounding herself with Quidditch players. And rival ones at that."

Adelaide nudged him, "Marv here has been telling me that you told them all about my shots -"

"But we've been attempting to explain that we already knew about them, Captain!"

Peter agreed, "Adelaide here refuses to believe that her time at Hogwarts is the stuff of legends."

"Next you're going to tell me all the clubs want me -"

Neil rolled his eyes, "Are you really this bloody daft, Addie?"

Adelaide waved a hand and sipped her beer slowly, completely oblivious to the fact that the three men were very nearly panting with excitement around her. Neil chuckled to himself and shook his head; she really had no idea how much most of the professional Quidditch players, young and old, idolized her.

Neil looked out over the crowd again, very thankful that Harry and Ron knew most of the attractive Quidditch players: even if none of them were gay, they were wonderful eye candy. He looked out appreciatively for a moment, but knew that it was pointless as his gaze landed where it always seemed to. On someone he could never have.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Harry walked over with one of his teammates. "Jon, you know, Neil. And this is his sister, Adelaide."

Jon flashed her a winning smile, "If I had known you were here, Adelaide, I would have had Harry introduce me immediately. I'm a huge fan."

Adelaide chuckled nervously, "A fan? Of me?"

Harry waved his hand, "That can wait! Adelaide! Neil, you too. Mr. Pace came to me today, said we need a big event or something to get everyone really excited about Quidditch again -"

"I really doubt -" Adelaide began but Harry cut her off.

"No, no, we do. And before Hogwarts begins, we want everyone to get excited about Quidditch, get them invested in teams, excited for the World Cup, promote more international games, that kind of thing. And now I've got it."

He paused and Neil nodded, "Yes, and what is it?"

--

Adelaide had brunch with her parents the next morning thrilled to still be in her pajamas at 11 am when her father nearly chocked on his eggs from laughing. He thrust the _Daily Prophet _in front of Sara and Adelaide and she blushed, "Oh, Merlin, I had hoped that they would have at least waited a few days before putting it in the bloody paper."

"Does Jack know?"

Adelaide shrugged, "By now, maybe."

Ray laughed again, "Who else is going to be on your team?"

Adelaide shrugged, "Not sure. It'll be a friendly match at the end of the month, to get people excited for the upcoming season."

"And when are you moving in with the twins?" Sara smirked.

"Mum! Really! It's the twins!"

Sara looked offended, "I didn't say anything."

Adelaide rolled her eyes, "They said they'd come over today and help move my stuff."

Sara and Raymond shared a look as Adelaide went to get changed and start to pack a few things. "She'll be okay," Raymond said.

Sara smiled, "And I don't think the twins will be in danger of falling for her."

"Cryptic?"

Sara laughed, "You have much to learn, dear."

Adelaide was just tying her hair back when there was a knock on the front door. Still barefoot, she ran down the steps, "Coming!" She was wearing a pair of Jack's muggle sports shorts that he had left behind and one of her father's vintage (and very faded) Pride of Portree t-shirts. She opened the door, surprised to see Harry.

But she was even more surprised to see six of his teammates.

Harry grinned, "Mr. Pace was very thrilled that you agreed to the match."

"I saw the paper."

"Ah, yea, this is the Tutshill Tornadoes first stringers. And our workout this morning is to help you move all your things."

Adelaide laughed and waved to the others, "We could just -"

Jon shook his head, grinning as he walked inside the house, "Nope, we're doing it the Muggle way. Two birds with one stone." He looked at her shirt and winked as he walked up the stairs, "Nice shirt."

She directed the boys up to her room before grabbing a box herself and Apparating to the twins' flat. She barely said a word to George when the others started arriving. George laughed, "You're first day here, Addie, and you're already bringing home boys!"

Adelaide laughed too and leaned against the living room wall next to George as they watched the men carry boxes in her room. "You're doing a great job, boys!"

"You've got a good team, Harry."

Adelaide looked at George lazily, "Should we get them lunch or something?"

"Lemonade?"

Adelaide pushed herself off the wall, "Fleur would be horrified. Six men here, doing work for me and here I am _not_ wearing a dress."

George rolled his eyes, "But you're feeding them. I think that will work just as well."

"And you're some Quidditch goddess," Neil said from the open doorway, winking slyly at George as he kissed Adelaide's cheek. "How did you get the bicep brigade to do your dirty work?"

Adelaide smacked his head, "I don't think any of them are gay."

Neil shrugged, "But it's fun to look," he looked at her, "have you not been enjoying the view?"

She rolled her eyes and ignored her brother as she looked through the cabinets for food. Neil moved to lean against the counter next to George and tried not to jump when their arms accidentally touched.

"She was completely oblivious to the fact that nearly all of those guys were flirting with her."

George snorted, "Or she just denied it."

Neil sighed, "She hasn't changed at all since school."

"Where's Fred?"

George looked up at Adelaide who was now too leaning against the counter as the food got itself out of the cabinets and onto plates. "He went to see Ron for a bit I think." He thought for a moment, "But come to think of it, that can't be right."

"Remember the other day?"

George snorted, "No," he said hesitantly, "really?"

"What?" Neil asked nonchalantly as he grabbed a roll out of the procession of food, "you mean Hermione?"

They both stared at him, "How did you -"

"I mean, he did talk with her a lot last night, she barely talked to any other blokes -"

Neil shrugged, "Hermione has let loose a bit since the War, hasn't she? And Fred does appreciate her intelligence and he can surely relate to her passion and drive."

George thought for a moment, "He has been mentioning her a lot more -"

Adelaide held up a hand, "We are not to interfere, unless it becomes unbearable," she paused, "but I'm sure Hermione won't let it come to that." She smiled as Harry walked into the kitchen wiping his hands on his jeans. "You boys hungry?" She laughed as they nearly knocked the food on the floor in their hurry to eat.

"Who's going to be on the two teams, Harry?"

"Well, me, Ginny, Ron, the twins and we asked Cedric and Charlie but," he glanced at her quickly, "Charlie said he was 'too old' but he said he would come watch."

"And we've got me, Neilie and Jack," she frowned and looked at Neil, "any of your teammates want in?"

Neil chuckled as Harry's teammates all looked at her flabbergasted. "They all want in."

Jon chipped in, "Captain if you'll take no offense, I'd like to put my name in for Team Hayworth -"

The others groaned and Steve said loudly, "We'd all like to put our names in."

Adelaide laughed, "But you guys will be playing all season!"

"Not with the Adelaide 'The Kid' Hayworth."

Adelaide's head snapped to Jon, "You lived in Australia! How could you even possibly know who I am?"

Jayson turned to Harry, "You were right, Captain. Totally clueless."

"Adelaide, dearest, everyone knows that Hayworth Triplets. Had the English team had you on the Roster for the World Cup..." he laughed along with the other men. "Your shots, your plays - against that Appel your first year -"

"Against Wood -"

"Against -"

Adealaide waved a hand, trying not to blush, "Enough, enough, enough!"

Neil slung his arm around his sister's shoulder, "What my sister is trying to say is 'thank you!' And Potter, will you allow Wagner to play on our side?"

Harry thought for a moment, "Who will be your Beaters?"

George shook his head as though he were shaking out his mane, "Whoever they are, they won't be as good as me and Fred."

Neil winked at Adelaide, "I think we'll be okay, George, thanks." Adelaide shrugged at Harry: she had no idea what Neil was planning.

The men left sometime later when Harry reminded them that they had practice. Adelaide laughed as they all expressed wishes to see her again soon, to reminisce again and promises to get her free tickets for their matches. Jon was the last to leave, leaning against the doorframe, "Adelaide, I can not wait to watch you fly during practice. And I can't tell you again how excited I am to play with you."

Adelaide smiled, "And from the things I've heard, I'm looking forward to sharing the pitch with you."

He shot her another winning smile and pushed effortlessly off the doorframe, "But I hope to see you before our first practice."

Adelaide struggled for a moment to find something appropriate to say as, still smiling, he walked down the stairs. She settled with a "Have fun at practice" before closing the door, telling herself she wasn't caught off guard by his gorgeous smile. Neil was staring smugly at her when she turned back around. "What?"

"Have fun at practice!" He mocked and dodged a punch. "He was practically asking you out on a date!"

Adelaide laughed nervously, "Don't be ridiculous!"

Neil rolled his eyes, "Fine, fine. Don't believe me. But you'll see." He plopped back down on the couch and Adelaide watched his eyes travel around the flat with - was that longing? Adelaide couldn't be more confused.

But then George walked down the hall and Neil snapped back to attention and smirked, "Adelaide denies Jon was flirting with her."

George laughed, "Our young, naive Adelaide!"

Adelaide rolled her eyes as Neil continued to tease, "Please, Adelaide, he's gorgeous. Once the League gets underway he's going to be a huge star - girls - and guys - are going to have posters of him," he chuckled at Adelaide's exasperated face. "Endorsement deals, modeling campaigns - I mean, he's Australian! Basically an Adonis! That blonde, touchable hair and those green-hazel eyes -"

Adelaide looked at him, "His eyes were brown."

Neil's attention snapped back to his sister before darting quickly to George who was looking between the two, "Well, right, that's what I said, look, anyway, he's gorgeous - and nice and he's obviously interested in you."

Adelaide continued to stare at her brother, "_Right_."

Neil stood up abruptly, "Bollocks, I promised Cedric I'd get a drink with him," he frowned at Adelaide, "I tried talking to him last night since he was right rude to you, but -"

Adelaide shrugged and tried to smile, "I don't blame him."

--

She woke up the next day in her new room in her new flat. Stretching across the bed she looked out the window: it was still early but she wasn't tired. She got dressed quickly before quietly walking to the bathroom. The twins planned on locking themselves in the back room all day until they created a new product. Neil had practice all day and Adelaide didn't want to disrupt a Lupin-Family Sunday. She made herself a cup of tea while she debated what she should do with her day. But she already knew what she was going to do.

Terrible memories came flooding back as she walked through the empty and silent atrium. She took a deep, calming breath as she quickened her pace to the elevator. When she got to the basement, she smiled. The Department of Mysteries was bright and welcome: the walls were now a calming yellow. She looked around at the open, high ceilings and shook her head at the messy desks, bookshelves and counters at Paolo's spot and the clutter-free station that was Charlotte's and Ben's. Her eyes landed on the two vacant stations that would one day soon be occupied. Her own counters and bookshelves were right outside her office and were completely untouched: she hadn't a moment to spare since she had officially reopened the Department of Mysteries. She had paperwork, Department Head meetings, interviews and journals to write that encroached on her actual on her counter with a smile. Not enough time until today.

She slipped the Time Turner off her neck and placed it on the counter next to her folders, scrolls of parchment and a fresh journal. She stared at everything for a few moments. She thought about borrowing Paolo's wireless but she knew the real reason she was hesitant to create another Time Turner: Sirius.

It wasn't as though working on the Time Turner wasn't going to threw her off balance: she had enough nightmares about Fred and Cedric dying and had to restrain herself a number of times those first few weeks when she wanted to hug them to make sure they were real. Especially since Cedric wouldn't even look at her. She tried not to think of what George, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. and Mrs. Diggory or any of the others would be like without Fred or Cedric. Nothing would have been the same.

But at the same time, how could she tell them they were supposed to be dead? That was not a conversation she wished to have, nor was it a conversation she believed they would have liked to have.

Leaving everything on her counter but her wand she walked slowly to the corner where the Death Room's Door was hidden. She thought briefly about grabbing her notes: the journal relating to the Death Room, the Veil, Death and various theories on the Afterlife and intermediate steps that was currently under about ten different locks that only she could unlock. But she knew it wasn't necessary. She knew the entire journal nearly word for word. She had started it before she fled Voldemort and when she returned was surprised to find it undisturbed under a layer of dust exactly where she had left it: misplaced on a bookshelf in the Time Chamber. It's spine was labeled: _Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying_, a humorous title she had heard someone mention in the Muggle pub she had once frequented with Remus. Apparently Death Eaters were not Monty Python's fans.

She had restarted her research into death and the Veil as she was simultaneously fixing the Department of Mysteries. Everyone was so caught up in their personal struggles of dealing with the aftermath of the War that they didn't notice Adelaide's occasional pale face, depressed demeanor or the horror and disbelief behind her eyes. The things she was reading made her relive the deaths of Sirius, Fred and Cedric over and over again.

And she knew that unlike Snape, Sirius was not ready to die.

A terrifying thought struck her as she opened the door slowly: no one but Hermione knew this was still here. And no one knew she was down here.

The Room itself was the same as it always was and probably always would be until she destroyed it: cold, desolate, dark, eerie. The Veil fluttered as it always did. As Adelaide neared it, she shivered. Was that a breeze or had she imagined it? Her skin crawled as the hairs on her arm prickled. That was definitely a breeze.

--

As she walked slowly back to the flat the sun still bright as it approached the horizon, she wondered if Kingsley would be disappointed in her. Was she letting him down? Was she betraying his trust? Wasn't it her idea to make the Department of Mysteries essentially secret-proof?

She walked past a stack of old _Daily Prophet_s and grimaced at the photograph of her waving, shrugging and smiling brightly. The blaring headline only made Adelaide feel more guilty: "Youngest Ministry Department Head Cleans Up the Department of Mysteries"

Feeling guilty and depressed she walked into a surprisingly boisterous flat. Forcing a smile on her face she shut the door behind her, "Oi!"

Fred poked his head around the kitchen wall, "Nice of you to join us, Ace."

She spotted George on the couch with Ron, "Ace?"

Ron snorted, "They've been thinking up new nicknames for you for the past hour." She grinned at Ron thrilled he was taking the initiative to talk to her.

Hermione walked out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel, "Where have you been?" She turned to glare at Fred who was probably hiding in the kitchen, "Didn't the twins tell you we were throwing you a flat warming?"

Adelaide cocked an eyebrow at George a hand on her hip, "They failed to mention that." She threw her bag on an empty chair before throwing herself on the back of the couch behind George. "I was at the office all day, catching up."

She avoided Hermione's inquisitive stare. George patted her leg sympathetically, "We've been living here for ages and we've never been given a house warming!"

Ron rolled his eyes, "That's because no one cares about you."

"Oi –" George started but was interrupted when Harry and Ginny stumbled through the fireplace. "Where have you been with my sister?"

Harry sputtered but Ginny smacked her brother's arm, "Oh, would you bloody stop that already?" She turned and grinned at Adelaide before frowning when her eyes landed on her clothes: another pair of large khaki shorts probably an old pair of Neil's and a large v-neck tee draped over a camisole. "No one told her we were dressing up?" It was then that Adelaide noticed everyone did look rather nice. "You look like you've been lounging around all day!"

"Oi – I'll have you know I was working all day!"

Ginny grabbed her arm and pulled her towards her bedroom as Adelaide jogged to keep up with the slightly taller girl. She laughed, "What is going on, Ginny? Are you guys really going to be that upset I'm not dressed up?"

Ginny was already rifling through her closet and mumbled under breath, "Bloody Phlegm was right. You own no dresses." She turned around, "Adelaide, I just wanted to say I'm sorry I was a right bitch – I guess I never really thought you'd go like that." She smiled sheepishly, "I was just mad and I guess Harry was right – I'm just as stubborn as Ron."

Adelaide smiled and hugged the girl tightly, "I'm just glad you still don't hate me."

Ginny laughed, "I never _hated_ you, Addie. Please!" She clapped her hands and turned back to the closet, "Now, there must be something we can work with here."

Adelaide let out an exasperated laugh, "What are we doing in here, Gin?"

Ginny laughed, "Do you see the dress I'm wearing?"

Adelaide looked at the cute, summery bright blue dress she was wearing, her long red hair in a low ponytail. "Yea?"

"Did you notice the boys were wearing khakis? Did you notice Hermione's dress?"

Ginny held a light grey khaki dress out, "Ah, you've been _hiding_ this, have you?"

Adelaide frowned as she stared at the dress: she had to admit it was cute and yet very simple and if she _had_ to have picked a dress out for herself, this dress would have been perfect. "But I've never seen it before."

Ginny looked inside the dress and pulled the tag out before looking back up, smiling. "It was a gift."

Adelaide took the dress from her friend and read the tag,

_Addie, don't hate me. I saw this and thought of you immediately. And I know you have no dresses…Hope you make everyone jealous._

_x – Charlie_

Adelaide stared at Ginny, "I – uh – friends –"

Ginny laughed, "Please, you really think I don't notice everything?"

"You aren't –"

"Adelaide, please. If Charlie really believed you two were meant to stay together he wouldn't have given up," she smirked as she grabbed some makeup out of a bag Adelaide hadn't noticed she was carrying, "but I bet you two were cute." Adelaide rolled her eyes but Ginny chided her to put the dress on.

She tugged it on, buckling the slate grey khaki belt and grinning into the mirror: Charlie had picked a dress that looked good on her, made her grey eyes more pronounced and yet was simple and casual enough that it didn't make her feel uncomfortable. "Charlie did all right," Ginny grinned into the mirror over her shoulder. "He knows you well." Adelaide watched as Ginny waved her wand, her hair, finally clean, fell nearly to her shoulders.

"Ginny, what is going on?"

Ginny opened the bottle of mascara, "Harry and Neil invited some Quidditch guys over too," he shrugged, holding the mascara brush near her eye and let out a frustrated sigh as Adelaide leaned her head back, "it's just mascara, Adelaide. I know you've worn it before." She grinned when Adelaide relented. "And I know what you're going to say – I just think you – and Hermione – need to have a bit of fun, flirt with some of these handsome men."

"But –"

"And I would have invited some girls for Ron, but I think that'll be next time –"

"But –"

Ginny grinned, "Do I know Fred and Hermione have been eyeing each other a bit?" She rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed next to her, "Of _course_ I did. Do you doubt my observational skills? I want to see how jealous he'll get."

Adelaide laughed, "You're evil," she paused, "you aren't trying to set me up, are you?"

Ginny shrugged as she stood up and opened the door, sauntering down the hall. Adelaide lay down on her bed, her feet, which were still bare, flat on the floor. She was glad Ginny and Ron were talking to her again, but the last thing she had wanted to do when she got home was to entertain.

She sat back up and walked out of her room, glad that Ginny hadn't reminded her to put shoes on.

--

George handed her a glass of champagne as soon as she walked out, his eyes wide when he saw she was wearing a dress. She looked out across the room as Fred and George wrapped their arms around her waist as everyone raise their glasses. "To the twins and their flatmate –" Hermione grinned.

"And to Adelaide wearing a dress!" Neil shouted from the back of the room and everyone laughed as they took a sip.

Adelaide and the twins sipped their champagne as nearly everyone came up to 'congratulate them on their flat', 'welcome them to the neighborhood' and 'congratulate them on their new flatmate'. She found Neil a bit later, leaning against the wall and sipping his champagne. "My, don't we look dapper?" She kissed his cheek in a way that would make Fleur proud. He glanced down at his slate grey khakis and his white polo before shrugging.

Adelaide smiled and went to ruffle his hair, "Trying to impress someone?" she teased, but he smacked her hand away. "Oi, who's attention are you trying to grab?" She stared at his face but he ignored her, his gaze intent elsewhere. She followed his eyes and her mouth hung open to where George was chatting with Jayson, "Are you jealous of George?"

Neil's dark grey eyes snapped to her and hisses "Are you off your bloody rocker?"

She gawked, tucking her hair behind her ear and leaning closer to him, "You're jealous of _Jayson_?"

He took another large gulp of his champagne before it refilled magically, "Even if he isn't gay, Addie," he whispered, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about him for ages."

Adelaide patted his arm sympathetically, "Can't you just -"

"What? Ask?" He looked at her incredulously, "And then risk our friendship?" He frowned, "Merlin, Adelaide. I know _how_ many Quidditch players, and I'm sure some of them are gay, but -" he paused, "the only man I even want to look at is George."

She leaned her against the wall, "You've got it bad," she whispered, turning her head to watch him closely, "why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged, "Why should I worry you about my love troubles when you were busy reestablishing a friendship with Charlie and everyone else and worrying about bloody stubborn Cedric," he looked at her, "you know I wanted to Addie. But it wouldn't have been fair to you."

She smiled at him, "I could find out easily enough, you know. Now that he's my flatmate and all. Try to set him up on dates and things -"

He shook his head sadly, "If he is gay, he'll come out on his own. I'm thinking of coming clean to the team tomorrow, let the papers deal with it whenever."

She laughed, "The gossip columns are going to go wild, you know."

Neil smiled ruefully, "When aren't the gossip columns going wild about us Hayworths?"

Adelaide's eyes wandered around the room looking for Hermione when they landed on Jon. He winked and she smiled but brought her attention back to Neil when he said softly, "I, uh, invited bloody stubborn Cedric, but -"

"Neil, you can stop trying to get him to talk to me. I don't want your constant nagging ruin your friendship with him. You guys have become too close for that."

His voice rose, "Adelaide, he's being a right prat -"

She smiled at him, "Neil, can you blame him? I humiliated him in front of everyone, in front of the whole of the Wizarding World, left him confused and angry and didn't speak for him for two years," she shrugged. "And I've read that few people remain friends with their ex -"

He rolled his eyes, "You guys are different."

She sipped her champagne, "Apparently not."

Harry was attempting to get everyone's attention, effectively stopping any retort from Neil. "Now, as you all know, George, Fred and Adelaide have all agreed to play at our friendly match in a few weeks and, _none_ of them have decent brooms." He was grinning widely now as Ginny stood at his side holding three rather large packages. "Adelaide's was tragically broken at Hogwarts and the twins' were destroyed during the War -"

"But they were forever damaged by good ol' Umbridge," George said wistfully.

"So," Ginny started, "since Ron's already got a new broom -"

"And we've sent one to Jack," Neil grinned.

"It's time for you three to get new brooms."

Adelaide's mouth hung open, her eyes wide as she took the package from Ginny, Neil taking her glass before she dropped it. She stared at Harry, Ginny, Ron and Neil, ignoring the twins' yells and cheers as they tore the packaging, "Merlin, _thank_ you -"

Ginny laughed, "Open it already!"

Adelaide nodded slowly, her fingers shaking as she tore the paper slowly, her breath hitching when she finally registered that she was holding her very own Firebolt.

"I - I can't -"

"Of course you can!"

"But you shouldn't -"

"We weren't going to let you ride on some dusty Cleansweep!"

"Expensive!" She managed to choke out.

Jon chuckled from his chair, "Not when nearly everyone involved in the League chips in -"

"The Company reduced the price for all of them too since it's for a big promotional game," Harry shrugged modestly, "and I bet they're hoping they'll be more."

Fred let out a laugh, "I'll play whenever they want me to!"

Adelaide barely let go of her broom the rest of the night even as she chatted with everyone. She was telling Jayson, Steve and Scott about the dragons on the Romanian Reserve when she felt a hand rest lightly on her back. She turned and smiled at Jon, "Have you put that broom down at all?"

She was caught off guard by his smile and his accent for a moment before she recovered, "It's just hard to believe that it's really mine!" She smiled, "And I was demonstrating how a dragon will nearly always be right on your tail when you try to fly around their head."

He laughed, "I doubt they'd be able to keep up with you or Harry. A lot of people want to see you play," he paused and turned to face her, his hand slowly leaving her back. She missed the heat from his hand momentarily, "I read about your department - sounds like you're doing a fantastic job."

She smiled slowly, "I'm sensing a 'but'." She had completely forgotten about her conversation with the others.

He shrugged, his eyes glued to hers, "Well, no - I just wonder why you can't do two things you love. You can work in the Department down the road, when you've tired of Quidditch."

She laughed softly, tucking some hair behind her ear, "That's sweet of you to say, but -"

"I only speak the truth, Miss Adelaide. A lot of people want to see you fly around a pitch."

"Well, there are some things I need to finish before I can even consider it."

He nodded, "I'm not trying to force you into telling me the secrets of your job," he grinned, "I'm just one of those people who hope you represent England in the World Cup."

"So you can play against me."

"I should be so lucky," his brown eyes were warm as he smiled, taking a step back for a moment to look at her better. "Now, wait a minute, Ron said that you didn't own a dress! That everyone forgets you're a girl!" She opened her mouth to tell him off when he winked at her teasingly, "I overheard Hermione reprimanding Fred and Ron."

She shook her head, smiling, "Well, I don't own that many, no."

"Well, you're famous now, aren't you? You better get a few dresses for all those Ministry balls and Quidditch parties." She furrowed her brows, confused and was about to ask him what he meant when he continued easily, "You aren't named after the Australian city of Adelaide, are you?"

"I don't think so, no."

He grinned, "Shame. Adelaide is a beautiful city – I visited there a number of times. Had cousins and a few school friends who lived there." He began to tell her about his school when Harry and Ginny came up, "Sorry, Wagner, but we should split," he nodded to Ron, "You too, Ron. We've all got work – or that bloody trial – in the morning."

Adelaide hugged Harry tightly, "Thanks again, Harry. I really owe you," he laughed in protest but she continued, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Harry nodded and Adelaide moved to hug Ginny who was smiling evilly, "We have much to discuss," she whispered. "We should get lunch soon." She winked and waited by the fireplace with Harry for Hermione and Ron. Adelaide thanked and said goodbye to Jayson, Steve, Scott and the others before watching Hermione give Fred a quick kiss on the cheek before catching herself and doing the same for George. Adelaide hugged Ron fiercely, "You are so bloody tall, Ron."

He chuckled and patted her on the top of the head, "Oh, Merlin, I right forgot. Perce said he wanted to come but he was busy with the trial and all and Bill said he was too old." Adelaide rolled her eyes and thanked him, watching the Golden Trio and Ginny step into the fireplace.

Jon put a hand on her waist and kissed her cheek before smiling sweetly, "I'll have to finish telling you about my school soon," he winked, "I know how interested you must be."

She laughed, "I _am_ interested," she laughed again when he nodded sarcastically.

"I hope to be there when you take her," he nodded at her broom, "out for a spin." He walked to the fireplace, flashing another megawatt smile before Flooing to his flat.

She ignored Fred's catcalls and George's chuckling. Neil kissed her cheek before waving at the twins, "Don't take the piss outta Adelaide when we all saw you with Granger." He laughed at Fred's shocked face before stepping into the hearth.

Adelaide and George laughed as Fred sputtered and left him standing there as they went to bed.

--

Adelaide had difficulties falling asleep that night despite the few glasses of champagne she had consumed and the excitement over her new broom: she was dreading the trial the next morning. Everyone thought she was just going to be a spectator, that it was protocol for her to attend because she was Head of a Department. Only the Minister knew that she would be a key witness for the defense of Draco Malfoy and Milton among others.

She stared up at the ceiling, watching the twinkling stars she had put up to remind her of Romania and of St. Ottery. They weren't nearly as realistic as the night sky of the Great Hall, but they were beautiful and comforting. She tried to count them to help her fall asleep, but she didn't get very far before she thought of Jon. Neil was right of course, he _was_ devastatingly handsome and he was handsome, but not overly handsome.

She hated to compare Jon when she still knew so little about him when she couldn't say with certainty that he wasn't just being friendly, just pretending to have a general interest in her when she was talking. But she couldn't help but compare him to Charlie and Cedric: he wasn't protective of her like Charlie was, nor was he so dedicated to his work that he had no time for anything else. He was more outgoing than Cedric and more of a – man. He was more comfortable and confident in his own skin. But that wasn't fair to Cedric: she was comparing an older Jon who had lived on his own for a while with a teenage Cedric. She had seem him begin to change right before they had broken up and from what she could see now, this changed had continued. But how could she know for certain? She knew Jon better than she did Cedric.

She decided that Ginny was right: she needed to have a bit of fun. She wasn't sure about the whole 'flirting' aspect, but she was going to need to let loose with her friends – and new people – once in a while if she was going to be working on the Veil.

--

A/N: I was going to have the trial in this chapter, but it would have been more than 15,000 words, and I thought that was a bit ridiculous, so……PLEASE REVIEW!!


	18. The Trial, The Match & New Relationships

A/N: Ah, so, here's the trial I alluded to in the last chapter: I know it seems a bit ridiculous, and clearly I'm not clever/creative enough to pull it off, but it's really a minor point, a way to get her into the paper more and into the public eye more, so. Please review!

--

_**The Trial, The Match and New Relationships**_

She adjusted her shirt once more, tucking it more on one side as she stepped out of the elevator, the clack of her short heels lost amidst the commotion outside the door. She forced a smile on her face, gripping the strap of her bag as she attempted to enter the large stadium-like room. She felt terribly claustrophobic and uncomfortable in her dark grey slacks and blue oxford, her toes protesting to being forced into a pair of new Muggle pointed-toe heels. She had given herself side bangs and attempted minimal makeup in an effort to look more "adult" more professional for such an occasion. And despite feeling uncomfortable she had to admit she did look older and relatively pretty.

She tucked a few longer bangs behind her ears, her ponytail hitting her neck when she stopped suddenly to avoid hitting a reporter. The short man opened his mouth to ask her a question when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned, smiling when she saw Remus.

Ignoring the reporter completely, she followed him into the room, his hand still on her arm. "I think it's best if you don't talk to anyone just yet," he said quietly as they approached an empty row.

While he didn't have an official title yet (unlike Percy's three), Remus was Kingsley's right-hand man. She was fairly certain he knew more about – well, everything – than Kingsley. And she was fairly certain it had been at Remus's insistence that Kingsley had spoken to Adelaide about her involvement in the Department of Mysteries and had let her have full reign.

Remus sat next to her, "Only Kingsley and I know you're testifying." She nodded and he smiled encouragingly, "It'll be fine. We have your records from St. Mungo's –"

She looked at him, her grey eyes pleading, "Harry and them know they're innocent, right?"

Remus hesitated, "I don't think they want anyone else to be sent to Azkaban. I think they want this all to be over and I think they know that these kids wanted nothing to do with this mess."

She nodded and smiled ruefully as Remus stood to leave, having a number of things to attend to. "Is my name ever not going to be in the _Prophet_?"

--

She sat rigidly in her seat for nearly two hours before her name was called. The silence stretched for what felt like days as Kingsley asked her to come forward. She placed her wand down on a large grey stone and stood as a greying wizard, after coughing, asked her to state her name.

"Adelaide Catherine Hayworth, Head of the Department of Mysteries."

Kingsley nodded and spoke, his voice loud and clear in the expansive room, "Ms. Hayworth, is it true that you were able to effectively kill the Death Eaters who were fighting within the Castle?"

"Yes. As well as a few right outside."

There was a low rumble of murmurs from the audience which Kingsley effectively silenced when he raised his hand. "Than how do you explain that these seven men and women were not killed even though they were confirmed Death Eaters?"

"Because they did not want to be Death Eaters?"

The rumble this time was nearly deafening: Adelaide saw the shocked faces of more than a few wizards and witches who stood before her and out of the corner of her ear she could see the dumbfounded faces of those she was protecting.

"Minister! You can't truly believe -" someone shouted but Kingsley raised a hand, his face stone cold.

"Ms. Hayworth, can you please explain yourself?"

"Yes, Minister. During my time at the Department of Mysteries, I studied Thought, properties of the mind and the ability to get inside someone else's mind -"

"Occlumency?" Someone behind the Minister interrupted.

"No," she said calmly, "I am not an accomplished Legilimens. I was unable to finish this research when I fled the Ministry." Someone behind her coughed uncomfortably. "During my time in hiding I had ideas of how to perhaps get inside an opponents mind, to know what hex or curse they were going to do next, but there was no way for me to test my theories."

She swallowed, licking her suddenly dry lips, "When I saw how badly the Battle was going, I attempted something on such a massive scale I doubted it would work. I gathered my magic and used it to find all the Death Eaters who believed Voldemort, who wanted to kill Muggleborns and those they believed to be traitors." She blinked rapidly taking a steady breath, "For those long moments I felt every terrible thought, every miserable feeling, every malicious intent and I - somehow, I don't know how I did this - I drained them of these thoughts." She looked directly at those behind the Minister, her eyes wide, "I drained the of their _lives_."

Silence again. Adelaide sat back against her chair, feeling emotionally drained. The silence lasted only a moment before sheer hysteria. Adelaide attempted to keep a brave face, to sit straight in her seat.

"Ms. Hayworth," Kingsley started over the noise which immediately quieted. "You were then in St. Mungo's for several days - unconscious."

"Yes, Minister, the Healers said I nearly had no detectable magic for two days."

Whispers.

"Minister," a short man stood up, "if she can't even explain how she did it -"

"Ms. Hayworth, would you allow the court to watch your memory?"

She nodded and Percy, who she hadn't noticed was sitting in a dark corner, put a pensieve in front of her, watching sympathetically as she placed the top of her wand to her head. Percy than muttered a spell and her memory played out for everyone to watch. She stared at her hands, unable to watch as she listened to what was going on. She could feel the change in the room: she knew those in the room could almost feel exactly how she had felt. But not nearly as severely. When she heard her own scream she looked back up at the Minister, her eyes wandering over those behind her. All of their faces were pale.

"Thank you," the Minister coughed to steady his voice, "I think it goes without saying that you were essential to our defeating of Voldemort" He spoke loudly now, his voice clear and authoritative, "Unless anyone has any objections, I believe we have enough evidence -"

"Hem hem."

Adelaide watched as Kingsley froze, "Yes?"

A stout, ugly woman stood up from the audience: was a non-voting member allowed to object?

"I'm not a member of the jury, but -"

Kingsley's eyes flashed, "No, you are _not_ Dolores, nor are you an employee of the Ministry, as you demonstrated through your cowardice and the speed through which you knowingly fed into to those working with Voldemort."

Someone snickered, but Dolores pressed on. Where had Adelaide heard that name before?

"But I'm innocent through this reasoning! I should be allowed back!"

Then it hit her: Umbridge. The toad-faced traitor who had banned the twins and Harry from Quidditch, who had kept Moody's eye, who had made everyone's life a living hell at Hogwarts. Why was this movie even allowed _in_ the Ministry?

"You weren't there," Adelaide said, her voice rising above the whispers of the audience.

Silence.

"I - I was there! I fought!"

"No, you were not. Only these seven people - these seven are still alive were there. I remember all of their names, I know these few are the only ones."

Umbridge sputtered, "How dare you -"

Someone from behind spoke, "We can not simply take Ms. Hayworth's word for it -" he paused as though waiting for everyone's attention. Adelaide recognized him as someone who had remained neutral during the War, was very conservative and was skeptical of such powerful and new magic. "I would like to ask Ms. Hayworth a few questions, if you'll permit it, Minister?" He barely waited for Kingsley to nod his head, "Ms. Hayworth, were you not friendly with Mr. Milton during your time at Hogwarts?"

Adelaide kept her voice steady, refusing to let her emotions yet the best of her: she had managed to stay calm and not act rash for a long time and knew now was not the time to lose control. "I was classmates with everyone on trial today. Mr. Milton was in my year and was in a number of my classes."

"Is it true that you had a relationship with Mr. Milton?"

She bit back a disbelieving laugh, "Would I acknowledge his existence, yes. Did he tell a few of his Housemates to keep quite when they called me inappropriate names, occasionally, yes. Did we have the type of relationship you are suggesting? No." She stared defiantly at him, but he was undeterred.

"Did you or did you not have a strange or peculiar connection to the Slytherins? Were you not a friend to them, despite their well-known and well-publicized allegiances to the Dark Lord?"

There were murmured whispers and Adelaide heard a female voice yell, "Objection!"

The man stared at Adelaide, believing he had won: but Adelaide wondered at his endgame. Did he want to discredit her? Did he want Malfoy and Milton to go to Azkaban?

She stood slowly from her seat her eyes never leaving his face. She tried not to smile as his features fell slightly, obviously aware she wasn't going to give up so slowly. "I'm sorry, what was your name, Mr. -"

"Lance Rockford."

She nodded, clasping her hands in front of her, "Well, Mr. Rockford, I'm unaware when you went to Hogwarts, or what House you were in, but the Houses have strong Quidditch rivalries now. I played Quidditch, Mr. Rockford." She cocked an eyebrow, "My two brothers and I were put on the team halfway through our first year. And we won that first game. And we won the Cup that year, Mr. Rockford. Since I was young, small and quite noticeably female. And," she smiled, watching as the man noticeably began to shrink. "While I don't like to sing my own praises, I was very good."

"I don't see the relevance -" Umbridge began, but Adelaide turned around swiftly before anyone else could tell her to be quiet.

"If you please, ma'am. I promise I will get to my point if you don't interrupt me." She smiled sweetly at the woman before turning her attention back to Rockford. "I was subjected to more hazing, teasing, ridicule and occasional altercations off the pitch as well as injuries on the pitch, than most players. Slytherins especially were not my biggest fans and while there were those who quietly respected my Quidditch skill, there were those who never gave up trying to knock me off my broom."

She stared defiantly at him, "I attempted, like most other Ravenclaws, to avoid altercations between Houses, but I was not a friend to everyone. I do not know whether you are trying to discredit me, my department or what I did during the Battle, Mr. Rockford," her voice was ice cold, her words cutting him down to size. "But you are going to have to do better than accusing me of having relations with the accused when all of my relations are made public by the gossip pages of the _Daily Prophet_."

He opened his mouth, but she continued, her voice strong and steely: she was on a roll and she was going to have her say. "And I don't know why you are so determined to send these men and women to Azkaban when they have proved their recent actions and their testimonies that they never truly wanted to be Death Eaters. Didn't we just finish a long and bloody War? Didn't we fight for the right to live our own lives, to be educated, to work wherever we want regardless of our bloodlines? Don't they deserve a new start just as everyone else here has gotten a second chance? Wouldn't we be just like Voldemort and his followers if we deny them this right? Are you, Mr. Rockford, just as prejudiced as a Death Eater?"

The silence was deafening and seemed to stretch out for what felt like minutes before Kingsley cleared his throat, "If there are no more objections?"

Umbridge shouted hysterically from her seat, "She's lying! Death Eaters are still out there! I was at that Battle!" Percy and Remus went to restrain her but she continued, pointing at Adelaide, "She's lying! She couldn't have killed all those people! She killed innocents! She let evil live! I was there! I'm innocent!" Kingsley shouted for her to be quite but she was shouting maniacally now, "Make her prove it!"

Adelaide turned to Kingsley, sharing a look of disbelief. Kingsley stood from his chair, banging his fist on the tabletop. "This is not a circus, Dolores! I will not tolerate this kind of behavior!" He looked menacingly at her, "Get her out of here, Weasley. If you so much as put one more toe out of line, Dolores, you will be thrown into Azkaban."

She struggled against Percy, her mouth opening but her shouts silenced by Percy's Silencing Spell. Kingsley remained standing, "Will the defendants please stand. I hereby proclaim that Misters Malfoy, Milton, Zabini, and Wyndham and Ms. Dickinson and Bishop are free of chargers for being Death Eaters, from sympathizing with Voldemort and are hereby cleared from all former charges. They are to be respected in society as everyone else." He nodded to the entire room. "They are free to go."

She saw Milton, Malfoy and the others nod at her before walking out of the room, the commotion deafening. She nodded at Kingsley before turning around, watching what felt like hundreds of people swarm to her. She saw Remus grin at her from the corner of her eye before she saw Harry and Hermione ahead of the rest, grinning widely ready to save her from onslaught of questions that were being thrown at her. She shook her head at them and stood her ground, raising her hands. "I will only make one statement and then I will not speak of this trial again." She looked out at the reporters, their quills at the ready their eyes wide in excitement. "Everything I said was true. The magic that I was able to harness was a dangerous amount and I will never do it again, nor do I encourage anyone to attempt it. The psychological and emotional consequences are too vast to explain, let alone live with," she paused. "I am very pleased, as I'm sure Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger here are, that these trials are over and that these people will get the second chance they deserve." She nodded and stepped down, walking through the aisle the reporters made as she, Harry and Hermione walked out of the room.

Hermione steered her towards the elevator, "I suggest we go to Harry's to hide out for a while. They're going to publish a special afternoon edition undoubtedly."

Adelaide nodded: she could not think of a better idea.

--

They let her leave Harry's flat after they fed her and after the _Daily Prophet_ owl delivered a special edition paper: they had only been supportive and almost annoyingly gracious. Hermione had to remind Ron several times to stop asking her how exactly she'd done it. But she could only when he frequently exclaimed that he wished he could have seen Umbridge's breakdown.

She thanked them for the food and support and Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, hoping for a quick firewhiskey before she walked back to the flat. Unfortunately, it was as crowded as it had ever been and so Adelaide was forced to Apparate directly onto Diagon Alley. There were very few people walking about since it had seemed to just stop raining. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't hear someone call her name nor wave as they approached until she was forced to stop when he blocked her way.

"Jon?"

He frowned, "You all right? I've been trying to get your attention for ages."

She adjusted the bag on her shoulder embarrassed. "Sorry, I was," she tucked some of her bangs behind an ear, "just not paying much attention."

He looked at her, his lips starting to smile, "You cut your hair?"

She smiled, "Just some bangs, yea."

He looked over her shoulder, "Can I walk you home?"

"Oh, she looked at him, about to refuse when she saw his smile and his beautiful, concerned brown eyes. "Yea, that'd be great, thanks." She chuckled darkly, "The last thing I need is to be gawked at or accosted."

Jon took his arm from hers and put his hand on the small of her back lightly. She looked at him, his shoulder right above eye level, but he kept his eyes forward. She relaxed slightly, deciding she liked the friendly and light way his arm was around her. "There were people staring at you back there," he said, still not looking at her, "and not that I think you'd attack anyone, but I'm protecting them from you."

She smiled, looking up at his face and grinning when he winked at her, "Thanks, Jon. You really can never be too safe."

He checked over his shoulder and removed his hand as they slowed their pace. "Are you all right?" He watched her as she frowned. "They gave a pretty detailed account in the paper."

She watched the cobblestone, "I'm fine. I'm _fine_. I didn't enjoy reliving it, but now I don't have to lie anymore."

He stopped walking and took her hand, "I won't ask you anymore about it, but promise me you'll talk to someone if you aren't okay?"

She looked at him curiously, "Thanks, Jon." She smiled, "But I'm _okay_, really."

He nodded, "Well, you were brilliant. You saved those kids from prison – and you showed those conservative bastards whose boss." He was talking excitedly now, "You were brilliant. I mean, from what I read of course. Everyone always said you were brilliant and powerful all, but to see you in action – figuratively of course –"

Adelaide laughed loudly and he looked at her, a huge grin on his face, "What?"

She shook her head and continued walking before she saw a new, small ice cream parlor that was empty and looked as it was about to close. She smirked at him, "Can I buy you an ice cream or are you on a special Quidditch diet?"

"Free desert? How could I say no?"

The young clerk did not seem pleased to have customers when he was about to close. But when he saw he was serving Jon Wagner, new star Chaser of the Tutshill Tornadoes, and former star Chaser of the Wollongong Warriors, he wasn't as upset. The boy was so in awe of Jon he forgot to tell them to pay. Laughing and rolling her eyes she left a few galleons on the counter as she drank her chocolate shake. Jon held the door open for her, "Pretty boring choice, wouldn't you say?"

She scoffed, "Chocolate shakes are not boring! They are a class frozen desert staple!"

He laughed, "Fine, fine, but I much prefer my bosenblackraspberry with white chocolate swirls."

"And while _you_ attempted to spit out that ridiculously long flavor, I've practically finished mine."

He nudged her with his side as they continued down Diagon Alley. "So, why the bangs? Do you always change your hair quickly on a whim?"

She shrugged, "Thought it would be nice if I attempted to look professional, like an adult at the trial. Thought people might take me seriously." She looked at a dark storefront, away from his beautiful eyes as she continued, "That worked well."

"Well, _I_ would have taken you seriously," he paused, "and it's about time you English started to dress like Muggles better."

She laughed, "Do Wizards in Australia have better fashion sense?"

"We _rarely_ wear robes; only for special occasions, really. But we never had any of that Pureblood nonsense anyway," he shrugged," it's much more freeing not to have to wear robes. You British are too uptight."

"Well, if Australia's so great why come to rainy ol' Britain?"

He smirked, "The shelias." She shoved him and he laughed, "Needed a bit of a change – and the Canons recruited me right as the War broke out."

"But then you were traded –"

"Ah, I had to pull a few strings, upped my asking price. Orange was _not _my color."

"And the coach is a sexist, conservative, racist prat."

"That too. Minor point though, really."

She glanced at him as she drank, "Oh, bollocks, I'm sorry – is this out of your way? Are you late for a date or something, you don't need to walk me home, I didn't mean to impose I –"

"Adelaide," his smile reached his eyes as he ran a hand through his golden blonde hair. She loved the way her name sounded with an Australian accent. "Please, I wasn't doing anything tonight. I was actually hoping to run into you."

She tried not to grin too widely, "Really?"

"I went by your flat but George said you weren't back yet and that's when I ran into you." He stuck the spoon in his mouth quickly, "Wanted to see if you wanted drinks after such an exciting day."

Her eyes traveled quickly over his face. He was looking straight ahead, eating his ice cream quietly, but she could see he was telling the truth: he barely knew her yet he cared enough about her to go out of his way to see if she was okay. He brushed some of his silky golden blonde hair away from his face before his brown eyes caught hers staring at him. A smile crept up his features, "What?"

She shook her head and smiled, "Nothing. I'm too tired for drinks tonight, but can I take a raincheck?"

He grinned, "But of course." They stopped outside the garish WWW storefront. "Owl me," he smiled, taking her empty cup and throwing it out, "but if you aren't free before Saturday, I hope you'll come to our team's monthly pub crawl."

She beamed, "Sounds great." She went to open the door of the store but he caught her arm. She stared, slightly confused, into his warm brown eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked seriously and Adelaide was _very_ aware of how close his face was to hers, "I hate to sound like I'm nagging, but –"

She stood on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck, "Thanks, Jon," she whispered, trying not to bury her face in his neck, to inhale too much of his _fantastic_, masculine scent. Not even Charlie had smelled this good. His arms were strong and tight around her and she tried not to sigh.

She released him slowly, but he only loosened his arms slightly. "Hope to see you soon," he kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger for a second before he pulled away and winked, "Goodnight, Adelaide."

--

The twins nearly pounced on her as soon as she entered the flat, asking her where she had been, how she was and then immediately teasing her about Jon and telling her how brilliant she had been against Umbridge. But one glare at Fred got him to lay off: no one had mentioned Hermione, but it was rather obvious he was in denial about the whole thing and had no desire to hear of it again. She went to bed that night rather easily: the trial was behind her and she had no worries about what the _Daily Prophet_ would publish. She told herself she needed to get used to seeing her name in the paper, especially as the 'friendly Quidditch match' approached.

She woke up pleased, vaguely recalling a dream that involved Jon: it wasn't romantic, merely friendly and calm. She couldn't deny that she liked Jon and was more than pleased to have him as a friend. Or at least, that she was telling herself. Her good mood barely lasted through breakfast, however.

She was the first awake and so, humming to herself, had made breakfast for herself and the twins. She sat down to her pancakes and tea just as the twins stumbled in rubbing their eyes. With a nod, they all dug in, Adelaide chewing happily to herself, glad to be going back to work in her Department, when the _Daily Prophet_ delivery owl squeezed in through the small open window and dropped the paper on top of Fred's tea. Adelaide snatched it, handing George the inside sheets as she perused the front page, skimming through the article that concerned the trial. She saw the words "Adelaide Hayworth" "crazed, delirious Dolores Umbridge" "freed and innocent children of Death Eaters" "no involvement" "terrifying memory" "unbridled power" and "awe-inspiring capabilities" when George sucked in a sharp breath.

"What?" She asked, not looking up from her paper, "More about Umbridge?"

When George didn't respond she looked up, putting down her cup of tea. He looked at her, a mixture of fear and amusement on his face. He thrust the paper into her hands, "Is that you _snogging_ Jon Wagner?"

Adelaide groaned, "Oh, Merlin," her eyes flitted quickly across the page, "oh, bollocks. Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks! He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek goodnight! You'd be able to see that if this were a magical photograph!"

Fred hid his smirk behind his cup, "Probably magicked it to stop so it looked like you were snogging."

"Bollocks, are they that interested in my love - oh, no," her face paled and she looked back up at the twins.

"What?" Fred was positively beaming at Adelaide's 'misfortune', knowing full well that the gossip pages of the _Daily Prophe_t would be interested in her love life just as much as they were interested in the non-existent exploits of Harry Potter.

"You didn't finish reading this, did you?" George shook his head, shoving more pancakes into his mouth. "They mention you," her mouth opened in horror, "they very nearly call me a harlot!" She looked up at them, her eyes blazing, causing Fred to spit out his tea. "They claim I'm dating both of you too! They say I've been spending much too much time here, and so clearly I'm -" she let out a hollow laugh, "I must be dating three or four men then by their count!"

George snatched the paper from her hands and let out a loud laugh, "Addie, people aren't going to believe this! Come, be reasonable! It's funny!"

She got up from her chair, "Yes, yes, bloody hilarious. The last thing I needed was this sort of publicity for my bloody Department."

Fred agreed with his twin, "No one's going to think you're some sort of serial dater or sex-fiend, Addie. By tomorrow they'll have a new bit of gossip, I'm sure. I mean, they barely mention us at all! They're more interested in you and Jon -"

"Yea, how do you think that makes us feel? We own a bloody profitable joke shop! We're both eligible bachelors! We should be getting more than a few words about our love lives!"

Adelaide rolled her eyes and walked back to her room to change into another 'professional' outfit, determined to ignore the inevitable stares by those at the Ministry. She was going to continue to live her life, continue to focus on her work, and continue to enjoy time with her friends. The gossip pages be damned.

--

She could not recall the last time she felt so many eyes on her as she walked through the atrium, her head held high. She was wearing a pencil skirt that she had transfigured in her irritation that morning and another oxford shirt. She stepped into the elevator and nodded to the other occupants, ignoring the look a prim-faced, older woman gave her.

She walked out of the elevator, the only one left and let out an exhausted sigh as she walked towards her office. Charlotte waved at her however, "Hi, Adelaide," she was grinning, "you were brilliant yesterday - everyone's been talking about it."

Paolo and **Ben** approached them, "Yea, boss, you're the talk of the town!"

"And you're dating Jon Wagner?" Paolo waggled his eyebrows and ignored Adelaide as she went to correct him. "Lots of people whispering yesterday and this morning about you - but mostly about the trial. Not about this gossip."

Charlotte nodded, "Yea started getting applications and resumes as soon as news about the trial got out -"

Adelaide's head snapped to her office where she saw stacks and stacks of prospective resumes and she started to laugh. Paolo shook his head, "Everyone wants to work with the most bad ass witch -"

Adelaide shook her head, still laughing, "I'm so glad I took this job for the paperwork," she looked over her shoulder to others with a smirk, "Well back to work!"

They went back to their stations, **Ben** muttering to Charlotte about the dress code. Adelaide completely ignored the stacks of papers on her desk and began immediately on creating more Time Turners when her father leaned across her counter. "So, how's my 'always-in-the-news' daughter?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed, "Finding this all a bit ridiculous."

He smiled, "That's what happens when you're too intelligent for your own good, my dear."

"And when I associate with other public figures?"

"Or stick it to a bunch of conservative idiots, yea." He watched her tinkering, "What are you working on?"

She shrugged, "Time Turners."

He let out a disbelieving laugh, "She says like it's nothing." He watched her closely to see if she was truly as okay as she claimed or only putting on a brave face. "Aren't these the Time Turners that were all destroyed?"

She looked up at him seriously, "I created a new one before I went to Romania."

"From scratch?" She shrugged. "And it works?"

She chuckled and nodded, "Minister has an order in for a few more." She paused, averting her eyes as she began softly, "Dad, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Addie."

"I - I like this job - although it's a bit more paperwork than I would have wanted -"

"But you like the politics don't you?"

She couldn't help a small smile, "I mean, I like helping people and the world with the stuff we're doing down here, but I could do this forever. I can't play Quidditch forever," she frowned, "I'm not giving in to peer pressure or anything, but I mean - I do love Quidditch. But I love helping people too."

"Quidditch can help people - it'll bring them joy, something to be excited about," he smiled, "you should do what you want, Addie."

There was a cough behind them and they both loved surprised to see Remus. The two men shook hands heartily and Ray smiled back at his daughter, "I'll see you soon, love."

She watched him walk away as Remus examined the contents on her table. "Are you modifying them?"

She shrugged, "There'll be less accidents with a few modifications - only travel a few minutes, a few hours," she shrugged, "that sort of thing."

Remus smiled, obviously impressed. "Kingsley wants to thank you again for yesterday." Adelaide waved a hand as Remus continued, "He also doesn't want to pressure you to hire more people, but -"

Adelaide laughed, her pale grey eyes meeting his amber ones, "But he still wants me to." She eyed him, "Remus, you can come work down here whenever you -"

He laughed, "You should just offer Hermione a job - then you won't have to rifle through any offers." He pushed off the counter, "Come by one night for dinner if you want out of the spotlight - Teddy and Dora would be thrilled to see you."

Adelaide smiled, "Thanks, Remus, I'd really like that."

Adelaide declined lunch with her coworkers, determined to work more on her Time Turner: she was so absorbed in her work that she didn't notice an awkward-looking young intern standing in front of her table. "Um, Ms. Hayworth?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the boy, holding an enormous basket. "Yes?"

"This is for you." He left the basket on the table and scurried away.

Who was sending her a huge basket of wine, cheeses - and books? She picked up the card and laughed loudly. But of course.

_Adelaide_ -

_We just want to thank you for sticking up for us like you did. We know you had no reason to - you got nothing out of it - but we can not express how appreciative we are that such an extremely intelligent, powerful and kind witch helped clear our names. If there is anything we can do to help you -_

_Malfoy and Milton_

She pickedup a piece of cheese, glad that she now didn't have to venture out for lunch, but felt guilty. If she could help these people, surely she could help Sirius. She needed to make time for that too. When no one else was there.

She thought about writing a letter to Jon to apologize about getting him involved in the _Daily Prophet _gossip later that afternoon when Paolo threw a piece of parchment on her table with a wink. "This came for you."

_I'm sorry I've gotten you involved in a Quidditch-love affair on the gossip pages - they apparently love to follow me around and jumped on the one occasion they've spotted me with a shelia. I'd apologize over coffee but I don't want to inconvenience your privacy anymore -_

Adelaide laughed at this and scribbled a reply, calling for the Department owl as she began to pack up her things. "I'm heading home early, kids, but don't worry. I'll work late this weekend." She waved and swinging her briefcase and whistling to herself, walked towards the elevator. She was going to have a bit of fun with the Daily Prophet.

She waved at Jon as she walked through the busy atrium, kissing his cheek when she reached him, very much aware of all the stares and odd looks she was getting.

"They are going to have a field day with this you know." He flashed a crooked smile at her as they walked towards the doors, her arm looped through his.

"Publicity for the match," she winked, "and once they see that we are playing them for fools and that we - well at least me," she flashed a mischievous smile, "am an utterly boring and droll person to follow around, they'll leave us alone."

Jon opened the door and dramatically bowed for her to go through first. "Devious."

They walked to a large cafe right on Diagon Alley and sat right next to a front window, both laughing as they attempted to ignore the pointing and staring of passersby. "Some of your admirers?" She teased as a group of teenage girls walked slowly by for a third time.

"Whomever do you mean, Lady Adelaide?"

She rolled her eyes at him, "And here I was worried that I was dragging you into the gossip pages."

He laughed loudly, his brown eyes twinkling, "You thought you were more gossip-worthy than a Quidditch-star?" He winked as he chewed a forkful of pie and shrugged, "Despite my relatively new-ness to the league..."

She tried to keep the conversation light, her voice teasing, "Forgive me for never having bothered with the gossip - I prefer to read the news."

"Touche. You are very news-worthy, especially as of late."

She avoided his eyes, focusing on her cup of tea: he might have been aware of her Quidditch skills and heard stories of her matches at Hogwarts, but he was obviously oblivious to the previous gossip about her relationship with Cedric and her "disappearance" from the Wizarding World. Apparently that had not been mentioned in yesterday's article about the trial: no wonder she hadn't gotten any sympathetic looks today. She hadn't minded of course, she much preferred disgusted, impressed or confused stares, but the inability to express in prose the sheer horror of her memory and the failure to mention that she lacked human contact for two years explained a lot.

She was torn from her private thoughts when Jon muttered quietly as he leaned over the table, "They've taken a few photos - reckon we leave?"

She smiled and nodded, leaving money on the table as they walked out the door to the still very warm night air.

"Want me to walk you home? Protect you from more gawkers?"

"No, I should actually head back to work - I haven't gotten nearly enough done."

He squeezed her hand in parting, "Don't work too hard - I'll see you this weekend?"

She laughed as she walked a few paces, shouting over her shoulder, "Maybe sooner!"

--

She thought about what her mother would say. What Remus would say. What anyone would say about her skiving off actual work in order to attempt to bring Sirius back from wherever he was. But then she thought about what Mrs. Weasley or Mrs. Diggory or anyone would say if they knew she had saved Fred and Cedric. As she walked towards her office to drop off her bag she wondered how Cedric would react. He wouldn't still hate her: he couldn't. But did she want to guilt him back into being her friend. Could she even handle being his friend again? Sure, things were okay with Charlie, but he was also how many thousands of miles away?

She opened the door, goosebumps creeping up her arms as she cleared her mind. She needed to focus.

--

She hadn't returned home until well after the twins were asleep and left well before they woke up, determined to make up time on the Time Turners that she had neglected the night before. She had gotten too caught up in the Veil, nearly becoming desperate in her search for Sirius.

But that desperation was nothing compared to the guilt she felt the next morning when she finally opened the paper as she sat down at her desk the next day.

_**Your Daily Dose of Wizarding Gossip**_

_**Is this the beginning of a Love Triangle? **_

_**Healers, Quidditch Players and Heads of Ministry Departments **_

Cedric Diggory, an up-and-coming prominent Healer at St. Mungo's who has recently made a name for himself in rare maladies and illnesses as well as in rare and exotic plant and magical creatures was Head Boy, Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain and one of the co-champions of the Triwizard Tournament. He and Harry Potter managed to escape the Dark Lord but were ostracized by the Ministry which, under Fudge, declared them to be liars and attention-seekers. This paper too is guilty of mocking Mr. Diggoy during this time. Mr. Diggory was famously linked to the only female triplet to attend Hogwarts and the only known female English witch. They had a very public break-up and until recently was thought to be Ms. Hayworth's only boyfriend. He declined an invitation to play in the upcoming promotional match where he would have played Chaser instead of Seeker as he did from his second year on in Hufflepuff.

Jon Wagner is one of the newest Chasers on the Tutshill Tornadoes under Captain Harry Potter and is a former Chaser for** Wollongong Warriors **where he earned more than 500 career points during his two year stint in the Australia League. He currently holds the record for most points for one season and left the League a year ago to play for the **Chudley Canons. **His career was cut short by the War and he managed to legally get out of his contract so he could play for the Tornadoes. He will still play for Australia in the World Cup.

He has been linked to a number of models in Australia, including a few Muggles but has remained relatively unseen with a girl on his arm in England until recently. He and Ms. Hayworth will be teammates for the upcoming promotional match.

Adelaide Hayworth is not new to the pages of this newspaper: she and her brothers made a name for themselves while first years at Hogwarts by helping Ravenclaw to its first Quidditch Championship in many years. Adelaide especially has been lauded and adored for her unusual, innovative and exciting shots, plays and her tenacity on the pitch. While one brother was a prefect and the other Quidditch Captain, Adelaidewas not to be outdone and was quite easily the top of her year and some have even said to be plausible competition for Hermione Granger's informal title of "Brightest Witch of Her Age". She began dating good friend and neighbor Cedric Diggory after attending the Yule Ball with him and was the 'someone close to him' stolen for the Second Task. However, as was widely publicized here, had a very public break-up after graduating and as was reported, had proclaimed on the streets of Diagon Alley that she agreed with the Ministry, the _Daily Prophet _and many others that Voldemort had not returned. This break-up concluded with Adelaide Hayworth severing all ties with her family, Cedric Diggory and the Weasleys, her neighbors and good friends and disappeared from the public eye.

She was not seen nor heard from again until the Ministry, under command of Voldemort published a photo, saying she was a dangerous fugitive and offering rewards for her capture. She was then inexplicably at the Final Battle, unconscious in St. Mungo's, reunited with her family and made the Head of the previously secretive Department of Mysteries. Much has now come to light, however.

Adelaide had acted on behalf of Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when she severed all ties: she needed and wanted to be hired by the Department of Mysteries and during her tenure there before being chased and nearly captured by Voldemort himself, had done much in the way of thought and time. As was reported a few days ago, Hayworth successfully killed 40 known Death Eaters in the Final Battle, which was the cause for her stay at St. Mungo's. She has also done much in the way of renovating the Department of Mysteries. She is going to be in the promotional match alongside her brothers and Jon Wagner.

She has been spotted on numerous occasions with new teammate Wagner and is currently sharing a flat with the twin owners of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, two single men. Why is she not sharing a flat with her brother Neil and Cedric Diggory? Well, since we have noew see Cedric Diggory on the arm of a beautiful mystery-blonde and have yet to see the former-lovers together in the same building, it's only fitting to assume bad-blood exists between the two. Does he not forgive her for his public humiliation? Who will get their friends in this public battle? And now that Cedric Diggory is very much on the dating scene, will we continue to see Adelaide and Wagner together or will she try to make Diggory jealous through multiple men? She'll surely have her pick of Quidditch men.

--

She finished the Time Turner that day. Composing herself she walked to the Minster's Office late that afternoon, trying to ignore the sympathetic looks of the young secretaries and the horrified looks of the older ones. She passed Remus's desk, momentarily surprised he wasn't there: until she remembered what day it was. Instead, she stopped at Percy's desk and handed him the Time Turners. "Please let the Minister know these are finished and should he require more, almost anyone can now assemble them."

Percy pushed up his glasses with a tight nod before saying quietly, "It's not fair, you know. But people would rather read that trash than about measures being taken to fix everything. People have had enough with reality and don't want to focus on things that really matter."

She shrugged, "They'll be surprised when they realize we're just friends. I'm surprised they didn't start making predictions on who I'll be dating next week."

Percy's mouth twitched but he changed the subject, "Should I tell Kingsley you're working on something else?"

"I'm going to think about what I want to do but may not really begin until after the match," she turned to go, "and I don't know when I'll get around to hiring anyone yet." She left before he could say anything.

She contemplated staying late again but thought it wise to go back to the flat and face the twins and whatever kind of Howlers or owls may await her. Not wanting to run into anyone with a camera she Flooed back to the flat and immediately attempted to cook something.

The twins entered the flat just as Adelaide was dousing a small fire on the stove. "Are you trying to burn the place down?"

Frazzled, she looked at George, "I was trying to cook us dinner!"

Fred bit his lip so he wouldn't snicker, "Maybe you should leave the cooking to those who have an inkling of how to do it."

She blew hair out of her face, "It can't be as hard as Potions -"

The twins rolled their eyes at each other before helping Adelaide clean up with a quick brandish of their wands. They sat down at the table about to tell Adelaide how ridiculous the _Daily Prophet_ was when Neil walked in.

"Don't you _ever_ knock?"

Neil shrugged at Fred, "Don't _you_ ever lock?" He eyes his sister warily, "All right?"

She couldn't look him in the eye, "We're just friends and we were hoping to have a bit of fun with the paper -"

Neil's voice was rather cold, "Yea, well, that backfired, eh? Ced hasn't said much and I don't know who that bird was, but - you could have been discreet."

Her eyes flashed dangerously but George interrupted, "Let's not play the blame game, yea? Cedric was being a right prat and Adelaide is allowed to have attractive new friends."

Neil nodded, "Came here to tell you that we're having practice tomorrow - without Jack - and then we'll have another next week," he turned to the twins, "and we're all going out for drinks since Cedric's been promoted." He frowned at Adelaide in thought, "I know the _Daily Prophet_ hasn't been fair, but think about Cedric's feelings -"

She didn't look at him, "Why? He never thinks about mine." She knew she was being churlish and juvenile but she didn't care. She got up from the table abruptly and headed towards her room, "Have a nice time."

She lay on her bed staring at her ceiling, watching the twinkling stars and ignoring the sounds of the twins and Neil. After what felt like hours and as her stomach slowly began to ache in hunger there was a tentative knock on her door, "I'm fine," she said petulantly, "go have a fun time with everyone."

There was a slight pause and than a familiar, Australian voice called, "Um, Adelaide, it's me."

She opened the door, her hair mussed from lying down and the old t-shirt and shorts she had changed into rather wrinkled, "How did you get in?"

He looked rather embarrassed, "Um, George let me in. They've left, but I wanted to apologize -"

"_You've_ got nothing to apologize for, Jon. I should be apologizing for dragging you into this ridiculous, non-existent love triangle." Her stomach growled loudly and Jon smiled slightly.

"George mentioned you hadn't eaten yet."

"Did he _also_ mention that they've all gone to celebrate Cedric's promotion?" She immediately felt guilty for snapping at him as his face fell. "Jon, I'm sorry. This_ Daily Prophet_ stupidity is making me wish I just _stayed_ in Romania." She walked back to her bed and threw herself down on it, covering her face exasperatedly with her arms, "And now even bloody Neil is on my case, like I was supposed to know that Cedric was going to get mad and involved." She looked over at him when she felt his weight next to her on the mattress. "And the last thing I want is to go out."

"Did you do this?" He was staring at her ceiling.

She frowned, "Yea, but -"

"Incredible." He hesitated, "Adelaide, i wanted to come over here and apologize for everything you've gone through -" he turned his eyes towards her and she nearly drowned in their depths, "I had no idea about your history with Diggory or with the _Daily Prophet_. I just wanted to offer," he ran a hand through his hair, "well I want to help you any way that I can, I guess. Whatever you think is best to handle this - absurd situation." She opened her mouth to thank him when her stomach growled again. "But first, I think we ought to eat."

"I'm not exactly up to going out to eat -"

He scoffed, "Well of course not. But you must have something here we can whip up, yea?"

Her cheeks flushed slightly, "All I'm really capable of are pancakes," she frowned.

He stood up from her bed and clapped his hands, "Well I'm bloody talented at eggs and a variety of other breakfast foods, so come along."

To say that she was impressed by his culinary skills would have been an understatement: she was absolutely blown away. She had never tasted such delectable eggs, sausages, or ham in her entire life. And despite her anxiety, guilt and annoyance over this whole fictionalized love triangle, she could not help but laugh at Jon and make him laugh.

She was just setting the dishes to clean themselves when he insisted on opening a bottle of wine. "The others are, aren't they? So why shouldn't we?" She gave in and sat on the couch, taking a glass from him and toasting to their upcoming match. "Now, he said airily, "tell me all about yourself."

She waved a hand, "No, no, the _Daily Prophet_ has already told you much too much! I want to hear all about Australia and your ridiculous reasons for ever wanting to leave such a fantastic and beautiful place!"

He began to tell her about his original ambitions to study Ancient Ruins, to go on exciting travels and vacations but how he had truly fallen in love with Quidditch and had been in need for an immediate paycheck. "Ruins aren't exactly well-paying."

She was facing him, her head resting on her arm that was draped over the back of the couch, her hair collecting over one shoulder, her eyes watching him thoughtfully. "But if you love Ruins, you could still do that when you retire from Quidditch," she said practically.

He stared at his glass, "As long as I'm not too old to travel to far off places."

She chuckled, "I doubt you'll ever be out of shape, Jon," she took another sip of the wine, ignoring the slight fuzziness she was beginning to feel.

She didn't notice his eyes slowly travel over her face. "Maybe. But it's a lonely life too. All that world traveling," he trailed off.

"Unless you meet someone who loves it too, or you meet someone on the team," she shrugged, "if you love it Jon you should do it. Why not take some time off from Quidditch or do a few short trips in between seasons." She chuckled, running a hand through her hair, her cheeks slightly pink. "I don't know much about the Ruins business."

He coughed uncomfortably, "Did you like Ruins?"

She smiled, a slightly far off look in her eye, "I did. Not many of us took it - I was good. But Jack had a better knack for it, seemed to enjoy it more than I did. I much preferred Potions."

Jon watched her for another moment as she watched the liquid move in her glass as she twirled it slowly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She looked up at him, her head cocked slightly, an adorably confused look on her face that made Jon highly doubt Cedric had been her only boyfriend. "About Potions?"

Well, at least Jon was sure more men than only Diggory had ever liked her. He cracked a smile. "No, unless you'd really like to. I meant about Diggory."

She frowned, "There's not much to tell, really. And it's terribly boring."

Jon placed his hand on her arm, "Please talk to me, Adelaide. It seems like no one else is offering to lend an ear -"

She wouldn't look him in the eye. Remus had for a while. Sirius had. Charlie had. But she couldn't possibly dump this on Jon - could she? "No, Jon, really, it's fine." She was slightly unnerved by the way he was staring at her. "It was foolish to ever date him in the first place."

Jon didn't know if she truly meant that or if it was only the alcohol talking. "Well," he said, "from what I can tell, he's just too stubborn and too afraid to forgive you. He obviously knows you had to do it."

She stared at her lap, "It's just hard to not be his friend."

They were silent for a few moments, both caught up in their own thoughts before Adelaide looked at the time. "I better get to bed - I need to head to work before practice," she stood and smiled. "Thanks for cooking."

Jon smiled widely and pulled her in for a tight hug, "If you ever need to talk or unload, don't hesitate."

Neither noticed the cameraman positioned strategically on Diagon Alley.

--

She got to the Ministry early, wearing casual, comfortable clothes, hoping to go right from work to the pitch that afternoon. Deciding she was there early enough, she spent some time in the Death Room before the others came in to work. Adelaide had decided to ignore the _Daily Prophet _completely, but she couldn't resist reading the front pages, about actual and important news. She was about to pick up the paper to pursue the news when Hermione walked in looking nervous. "Have you read the paper?"

Adelaide looked up, surprised at the anxiety evident in the younger girl's voice. "Hermione, you don't take that bollocks seriously, do you?"

She let out a disgruntled huff, "No. Of _course_ not. Have you seen the front page?"

Adelaide flipped the paper over to see a rather large picture of Neil laughing and drinking with Cedric and the others with the headline: "Night After Neil Hayworth Comes Out to Teammates, Seen with Many Male Friends - For more, see page 9". Adelaide met Hermione's eyes and quickly turned to page nine and let out a low whistle, "They just tore into everyone! Even me and I wasn't there!" Her eyes scanned the page. "Bloody hell! They think Cedric's trying to get me jealous through that blonde and Neil!" She laughed hollowly, "And Harry's mad at Jon for fraternizing with me because it makes Cedric jealous!" She started laughing uncontrollably as Hermione sat down in a chair with an exasperated sigh.

"They even dragged me into this! Apparently I was flirting shamelessly with Cedric, Paul and Fred to make Ron jealous!"

"Paul?"

She frowned, "Oh, um, one of Cedric's colleagues from St. Mungo's."

"Hermione, we just have to ignore this -"

"It's undermining the real work everyone's been doing - all of our accomplishments!"

Adelaide set the paper down and leaned back in her chair, "Well, the _Daily Prophet_ is going to be following you three - and Ginny - around for at least the next few years and it doesn't exactly help that Neil's a Quidditch player, the twins are successful and I was part of a very public trial and promoting my department. I suppose it's the price we'll have to pay."

Hermione nodded her head and ran her hands over her face, "But if I get one more disapproving look from some elderly woman or hear one more whispered 'harlot' I swear..." she trailed off and Adelaide laughed.

Adelaide and Hermione discussed briefly about writing letters to the editors of the paper before Hermione excused herself, claiming she promised Fred she'd look over a new invention. Adelaide tried to her hide her smirk as she watched the girl leave.

--

She ran onto the pitch, her new broom in hand and a huge grin on her face, about to tell Neil she was going to have to leave a bit early when she was suddenly sandwiched between two tall and familiar men. "Alec? Robbie?"

"You remember me, Hayworth!" Robbie grinned, his face more chiseled and mature than she remembered when he had graduated.

"Don't be ridiculous, Grey! What are you doing here?"

"I'm hurt! I'm one of your Beaters! The Canons are lending me out for this match."

She turned to Alec, "And what are you doing here?"

Alec grinned, slinging his arm around his yearmate, "You're looking at the newest Ballycastle Chaser!"

Neil disrupted the reunion, introducing Adelaide quickly to Mulligan, one of the Beaters from her own team, "All right, all right, enough! We have two weeks before our match and I would really love to crush Potter, yea?"

"Want to take Golden Boy down, eh?"

"Precisely. He's a bloody good Seeker and Jack'll be a bit rusty, so we're going to need to rack up points on Ron."

Adelaide saluted her brother, "Aye, Captain! While still entertaining the crowd, correct?"

Robbie coughed to cover a laugh, "I'm glad you were never this mutinous when I was your captain."

On her Firebolt Adelaide was virtually unstoppable and even Neil failed to stop some of her shots. But she didn't hog the Quaffle and set Jon and Alec up frequently. She couldn't stop laughing and grinning the entire practice, despite the Neil's protests to remain focused, although he couldn't help but smile at her a few times. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her look so happy. She and Alec very nearly picked up where they had left off 6th year: they knew what the other was doing or planning almost instinctively. And after two hours, Jon had begun to understand and anticipate their plays. Neil could not have been more pleased with his Chasers. Jon was a very talented Chaser on his own and fit himself easily with Adelaide and Alec (although Adelaide could make nearly anyone seem like a professional Chaser).

"You're not half bad, Wagner," Adelaide laughed as she circled the goal posts.

"Coming from you, m'dear, that means a lot."

They all landed and Neil briefly told them what they needed to work on before informing them of their practice the following week with Jack. He looked at Adelaide, "You should come to our practices this week - you're fast on that Firebolt but you don't throw as well as you used to."

She frowned, "I do have a job, you know."

Neil rolled his eyes, "Come for a few hours a few times, all right? Kingsley can't mind too much."

"All right, all right, but I have dinner plans now, if you'll excuse me?"

She said goodbye to them and Apparated to her flat to shower and changed before heading over to Grimmauld Place for dinner with the Lupins.

--

It never got any easier. She had been to Grimmauld Place a few times since she returned as the 'prodigal daughter' and it never got any easier, seeing all of Sirius' things, his family's things. Only Hermione knew that she had written letters to him: Remus was under the impression that he had been relaying information between the two. Seeing the harsh, fierce portraits of Black family members, the dark magic book titles, the intimidatingly dark, old and noble furniture, only made Adelaide feel worse: Sirius' life had been so much worse, so more lonely than anyone else's. His family hated and disowned him, his adoptive family was murdered, he was wrongly accused and imprisoned and then forced to live in the house he had hated so much, only to die prematurely.

No, visiting Grimmauld Place never got any easier.

Tonks opened the door, Teddy, sporting platinum blonde hair, on her hip. "Addie! Look, Teddy, it's Auntie Addie!" She bounced him slightly and grinned nearly dragging her inside. "Did Remus tell you the good news?"

Tonks good mood was so infectious that Adelaide nearly forgot she was once again in Sirius' house. "No, what?"

"I should wait for him to come home - he'll be here soon, but," she was positively grinning, "we found a small cottage not far from St. Ottery and we're moving next month."

"Tonks! That's fantastic!"

"We didn't want to intrude on Sirius' house for too long," her smile faltered; Adelaide knew how difficult it was for her to live in her cousin's house, the house of relatives who had always despised her. "And it's not really a house conducive to children, is it?"

Adelaide shook her head, tickling Teddy under his chin, smiling as he giggled. "What's to come of the house?"

Tonks shrugged, "Whatever Harry wants, I suppose. Probably keep it as is. Not like there's rent or a mortgage to pay."

Adelaide was just going to help with dinner when Remus walked out of the fireplace, kissing his wife and son on top of the head before grinning at Adelaide, "Look Ted, we've got a real-life celebrity in our kitchen!"

Adelaide rolled her eyes, "Already lying to your son, are you?"

Remus' amber eyes twinkled as he continued to tease her, "How could you even spare one night out of your busy dating schedule?"

Tonks smacked his arm, "Leave the poor girl alone. It's bad enough she's getting so much unwanted attention for Mysteries, she doesn't need to hear more boy nonsense."

"Thanks, Tonks. Who knew that being friends with a member of the opposite sex was such a novel and liberal idea?"

She missed the look Tonks and Remus shared as she took Teddy from his mother's arms, his hair changing to a dirty, golden blonde that matched her own, his eyes changing to a light grey. She laughed and tickled under his chubby arm as he let out a gurgly laugh.

She loved spending time with the Lupins: she got along famously with Tonks, although few people didn't Remus was a dear friend and mentor and Teddy, well Teddy was the one child she had any interaction with since Ron and Ginny were tiny. Teddy had no expectations, he didn't care that his 'Auntie Addie' was all over the gossip pages, that she was incredibly powerful and intelligent, that she was incredible at Quidditch; all Teddy wanted was the love that she always showed him. If she could, she would spend everyday with the easygoing, carefree, nonjudgmental Lupins.

After Teddy had fallen asleep in her arms and as she was about to go home, Tonks and Remus looked at her seriously. "Don't get defensive -"

"But we do want to make sure you're okay -"

"Mentally, that is. The last thing we want is for you to tear apart the _Daily Prophet_ offices."

"Verbally or physically."

Adelaide smiled genuinely at the pair, "Thanks. But yes, I'm all right. It'll probably stop after the match -"

Tonks laughed, "You and Hermione are just more fun to write about since Ginny is with Harry -"

"And since you apparently associate with more Quidditch players -" the corners of Remus' eyes crinkled as he attempted to hide a smile.

She let out a dramatic sigh, "It's a shame the _Prophet_ doesn't realize I'm only friends with these guys, that they only see me as a guy," her mind flashed briefly to Oliver, but she ignored this.

Tonks waved a hand, "Nonsense."

Adelaide smiled and kissed both on the cheek before kissing the top of Teddy's sleeping head. "It's the truth. Thank you both for a lovely evening. Goodnight."

--

The rest of the week went on rather well: she practiced occasionally with Neil's team, who were more than willing enough to let her join their practices. The newspapers continued to write about her: now she was seen with Neil's teammates, including the 'dashing and single' Mulligan and Chang. Then she was seen 'being friendly' with 'former captain and much older Robbie Grey'. Then with 'former teammate and possibly more?' Alec. She, of course, never ready any of this, but was told about it by Ben, Paolo and the twins. Adelaide decided it was best if she canceled on Jon and the Tornadoes and their 'pub crawl'; instead she was dragged to go shopping with Fleur. For nearly the entire day. Thankfully, Ginny and Hermione had been dragged along too, although Ginny minded the least: she might not care for Fleur as much as she should, but she could still greatly appreciate her wonderful fashion sense. It was Ginny, therefore, who told her to be quiet, "You need new clothes anyway, Adelaide."

After what felt like days, Adelaide was now in possession of more 'work clothes', dresses (casual, cocktail and fancy) and heels than she could possibly use. She vowed that she was never going to try on another outfit for the ever - critical Weasley girls. Adelaide's selections were never daring, revealing, exciting or girly-enough: she had given up picking anything out and decided to just wait for Fleur or Ginny to pick something out for her.

"You can wear this on a date." "You can wear this to the banquet after the match." "You can wear this to a big Ministry meeting." "You can wear this to a Ministry fundraiser!" Adelaide doubted that she would ever wear all these clothes, but she knew arguing wasn't worth it. Weasley women never lost.

Adelaide caught Hermione moping in one of the fitting rooms and decided to join her, hoping to avoid Fleur and Ginny for a bit longer. She stared at the girl: she hadn't even noticed Adelaide had entered the room. "All right, Hermione?"

Hermione's wide, brown eyes shot up, "Oh, yea, I'm -" she saw Adelaide's hard, 'don't try to lie to me' stare and faltered slightly, "it's really no big deal, just me being a bit ridiculous, really." She let out an awkward chuckle.

"Hermione, please. Don't bother to try and lie to me. Besides, maybe I can help. If not, well, I promise I can keep a secret."

Hermione bit her lip, her eyes staring at her clasped hands, "I -" she faltered slightly, "it's just a silly crush, that's all, because he pays attention to me," she let out an uncharacteristically hollow laugh, "I mean, a bloody goody-two-shoes-know-it-all-bookworm and a bloody prankster? Unheard of! Ridiculous!" Her sad, almost angry eyes pierced hers.

Adelaide couldn't help but smile, "That's not unheard of. They say opposites attract, Hermione." She laughed as Hermione opened her mouth to retort. "And trust me, Hermione, loads of guys have paid you attention every time I've been out with you. But Fred always joins you, scares them away." Hermione opened her mouth in confusion but Adelaide pressed on, "You aren't a bookworm, nor are you a goody-two-shoes and the whole world knows it, Hermione. And I doubt you know it all. Now, I doubt I'm the one you should be taking love-advice from, but I'm honest and I know what I've seen. Fred very obviously cares for you. And if you think you care for him, you need to do what you think is right. Act on it, test the waters, ignore it - whatever you feel is right. But I truly believe you two could have something great."

Hermione bit her lip and nodded slowly, "Thanks, Adelaide. That's better advice than I could get from anyone," she looked up and smiled shyly, "very honest."

Adelaide grinned and stood, "We should get out there before they make us try anything else on. I never want to go shopping again."

--

Jack's triumphant return to England and the Quidditch pitch, was, of course, celebrated in the pub with what felt like every Quidditch-player in attendance. Adelaide knew the _Daily Prophet _was going to have a year's worth of stories from this one night, but she didn't care: her brother was going to be in London for only one week and she was determined to enjoy what little time she'd have with him. Unfortunately, she was also wearing a dress that night, something that was only going to make her stand out more for the ever-present cameras and reporters. She rarely talked or spent much time with one person the whole night: she blushed and argued with the "true accounts" Robbie relayed to a rapt (and drunk) audience about the triplets 'finer hours', she watched Fred and Hermione with Ginny and George, argued and placed bets with Ron, updated Jack on her department and listened to his news and news of Charlie and the other Dragon Keepers, reminisced with Alec, ignored Cedric and chatted briefly with Hermione before taking a breath as she leaned against the bar, smiling as she watched everyone teasing, flirting and laughing.

She smiled as Harry leaned against the bar next to her. "This is how it should always be."

Adelaide smiled and tipped her glass towards him, "And thanks to you, it will be." She watched Harry blush: he knew it wasn't worth arguing with her.

"The League really wants you to play."

She shrugged, "You have enough players."

"World Cup?"

She laughed, "Maybe."

They stood there in a comfortable silence: she was quickly discovering that Harry had matured greatly since his 4th year and even since the end of the war. He was nearly always happy or excited and was staunchly loyal to his friends (or anyone who had believed in 'the cause') and would gladly do whatever he could for them. He hated using his name to get things he wanted, but if it benefitted his friends, he wouldn't hesitate.

"I'd ask them to stop if they'd -"

Adelaide held up a hand, "I know, Potter. Thanks, but, I doubt they'd listen to anyone. Even you."

Harry chuckled and nodded towards Fred and Hermione, "What do you think?"

"You're not, worried? Protective?"

He shrugged, "I think they'd be good for each other. And Hermione can take care of herself quite well."

Adelaide smiled, "I think they'd balance each other pretty nicely." She looked around the pub, "What about Ron?"

Harry rolled his eyes and Adelaide saw Ron flirting with one of Ginny's teammates, "He's, er, enjoying himself, I think."

"He always did want that popularity."

Harry nodded, "How are you?"

She looked at him a moment, mulling over her thoughts. "I'm fine. Bit busy with work and this match."

"You and Jon are getting along swimmingly -"

Her gaze fell on Jon chatting with two gorgeous women and Jayson. She laughed into her drink, "As friends, sure."

"No, he seems -" Harry watched Jon give Adelaide a quick wave before turning his attention back to the leggy blonde. He looked at Adelaide hopelessly, "I - I -"

Adelaide smiled at Harry, clapping him on the shoulder, "Potter, take a breath. He's used to date models! And besides," she waved around the room with her glass, "I think my Quidditch player phase is over anyway." She looked at him seriously, "Jon and I are good friends. He can flirt with whoever - I mean, according to the Prophet I've been flirting with everyone."

Harry opened his mouth to speak but Adelaide shook her head as Ginny walked over smiling and winking at Harry. With a quick wave, Adelaide walked away in search of another drink.

She was friends with Jon. Friends. Always a friend.

She watched as Neil shot glance after glance at George and determined to see one of her brothers happy (and to get his first shot at a relationship), she approached the twin, a large grin on her face. "Oi, George, how goes it?"

He shrugged, "Where's Jon?"

She kept smiling and mimicked his shrug, "Chatting up some models."

"Oh, I'm s-"

"Pish, posh, Georgie. Tell me, is there a model here you'd like to be set up with? One of the few female Quidditch players?"

She watched George's ears start to pink, "Oh, I'm, I'm, er, not looking for anything serious now."

She rolled her eyes, "I hardly want you to start something serious with a model, Weasley. Just a bit of fun, yea?"

He shook his head, doing his best to hide his horrified and embarrassed face, "No, no, I'm all right, really, thanks."

Adelaide opened her mouth to press on when she felt Neil's hand on her shoulder, "She propositioning you, Weasley? Seems as soon as she gets a few drinks in her -"

She rolled her eyes, "Please, Neil. I was trying to do George a favor." She watched her brother and wondered how she had never noticed the pure desire and desperate longing that exuded from him when he was near George. She wondered how no one else seemed to notice. And for Neil's sake, she prayed George returned similar feelings.

But her attention was called away when Jack beckoned her over to where he was talking with Jon. She smiled warmly at the two, unaware of Jon's slightly embarrassed glance. "Wagner here was just telling me about the possibility of you being on the English team?"

"Jackie, please, I don't know yet, no one's asked me, it's just rumor -"

He shook his head, "No, no, I understand. They'll want only two of three Hayworth's. I picked the bloody position that bloody Boy Wonder Potter plays. Typical Jack Hayworth."

--

The day of the match finally came: Adelaide was more than ready for it to be over, hoping that the _Prophet_ would soon lose interest in her non-existent love life when she wasn't constantly associating with athletes. She wanted nothing more than to focus on her work and on Sirius.

The match began with all of the League's teams being introduced to the large, excited roaring crowd before the two teams were introduced. When her name was called, Adelaide couldn't help but blush and laugh loudly as she waved: her cheers had been nearly as loud as Harry's. Adelaide was most surprised, however, to see that Cedric had replaced Chang who was out due to a terrible crowd.

She looked pleadingly at Neil before they kicked off, but he could offer no advice. She was going to play against Cedric. And she wasn't going to easy on him.

Lee Jordan, the official announcer of the League, had never had such fun announcing a match, nor had a crowd ever been so excited. They cheered at every shot, ever save, every fake and every trick.

In the end, however, Harry's team won, but thanks to the combined goals of Adelaide, Jon and Alec, only by 30 points. Even Neil couldn't be too disappointed in their loss.

But as Adelaide went to her flat to change into her "formal wear" for the post-game ball, the adrenaline wore off and she was glad to be hanging up her broom and her one-time uniform.

She found Neil and George waiting for her in the living room when she was finally done getting dressed. Neil let out a cat call and George whistled, "You clean up nice, Hayworth."

"Yea, you finally going to seduce Wagner?"

She rolled her eyes and ignored them, "Where's Fred?"

George waggled his eyebrows, "He's taking Hermione."

Adelaide beamed and looping her arms through theirs, they Apparated to the Atrium of the Ministry where the banquet was being held. She posed for pictures with them and whispered into Neil's ear, "Tell him tonight, Neil." Neil ignored her and did his best to smile.

She almost immediately noticed the girls on Jon's and Cedric's arms but she turned away too quickly to see Cedric's long gaze on her. Nor did she feel his eyes on her throughout the night.

Adelaide could not have been more happy for Fred and Hermione who looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, dancing closely and talking with no one but each other.

Charlie handed her a champagne fluke, grinning, "You look nice."

She eyed him quickly, "And don't we look dapper. Are you sure there isn't another lady here who's caught your eye?"

He sighed, "No, no, I'd much rather waste my time with the likes of you." He looked around, "Is _Ron_ flirting?" He nearly chocked, "And is that _Granger_ with Fred? _Merlin_, how long have I been gone?"

She laughed, "Ron has been breaking hearts left and right and yes, Hermione and Fred have been dancing around each other for a while." She snuck another appreciative glance at him unaware of the various pairs of eyes that were trained on her. "What about you? Any new Healers?"

He hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck as she let out a triumphant laugh. "I knew it! What's her name?"

"No, no, I won't have you jinxing it, Addie. She's just arrived and I don't want to be frightening her off." He went to pull her hair but frowned when he found it pulled back into a low, messy bun. "Where's this Jon I've been hearing about? One of your numerous row beaus?"

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest as she took a sip of champagne, "Please, Charlie. He's the hottest new Quidditch player. He's got scores of gorgeous fans - I was just his friend and his teammate."

Charlie looked skeptical but kept his mouth shut. "Is that Jack -"

She frowned as she followed Charlie's gaze, "I have no idea who that is." She watched her brother talking very intimately with a beautiful dark-haired witch.

"One of Cedric's Healer friends," Neil said as he and George joined them.

Adelaide nodded, slightly irritated that Cedric had attempted to set her brother up with someone she didn't know. She looked out over at all of the couples in the room - when had that happened? Cedric was with a blonde - if it was the same blonde or a new one, she couldn't tell. Ron with a short, curly-haired brunette. Fred and Hermione. Alec and Gillian, one of Ginny's teammates. Robbie Grey and Harry's former teammate Katie bell. Jon and a tall gorgeous blonde. And there she was with Charlie, her brief, out-of-convenience, boyfriend, Neil, her gay brother and George, the unrequited love of his life. And in comparison to all the other women in the room, she felt strangely inadequate. And oddly out of place. She wanted to have a good time and here she was, standing off to the side, drinking in near silence.

She frowned and took another sip of her champagne, trying not to remember the last time she had been dressed up like this. Yule Ball. She tried not to think about how happy she had been then. How beautiful Cedric had made her feel, how nervous she had been when they were supposed to dance with the other Champions, how he had laughed and led her easily and confidently to the center of the Great Hall and leading her gratefully across the dance floor.

She looked up, relieved to see Mr. Pace taking the stage to make a brief toast; soon the food would be set out and she could stuff her face to ignore the seemingly hundreds of couples.

The night seemed to drag on forever as she made small talk with her parents, endured Fleur's compliments and pleas that she steal Jon back and watched as Fred and Hermione left. Charlie kissed her on top of her head, "I'd walk you home, but I'm leaving before dawn."

She frowned, biting her lip when her eyes started to sting slightly. She hugged him tightly and immediately missed his warmth. "Good luck with the mystery girl," she whispered softly as she smiled sadly.

"Bye, Addie. I'll see you at Christmas." She nodded and watched him go.

The champagne must have been getting to her, because she felt an enormous sadness fall over her. She looked around the atrium: her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley , Ron, Alec, Robbie and a few of the other Quidditch players were now gone. Spotting Jon, she plastered a smile on her face and decided to say goodbye before she did something she might regret later. "Sorry, hate to interrupt, Wagner," she flashed a smile at the blonde, "but just wanted to tell you again how wonderful it was to share the pitch with you. Good luck in your season." She started to walk away before he could reply, but he caught her arm.

"Hey, Adelaide," he said softly, his hand still on her arm, "I wanted to talk to you tonight," his eyes traveled to her lips for the briefest of seconds, "you look beautiful by the wya, but that Weasley -"

Adelaide laughed and shook her head, "Jon, you don't need an excuse. We're friends." She cocked an eyebrow, "Besides, she's gorgeous. You're a hot, new athlete, you deserve a bit of fun." She turned to go again, but he pulled her in for a hug.

"You really are a fantastic friend, Adelaide."

She avoided his eyes as she nodded, heading towards Harry and Ginny to say goodbye, unaware of Cedric's eyes boring into her.

"You really do look nice, Adelaide."

"I'm glad you decided to buy that dress. And those shoes are great."

Adelaide thanked them both and not seeing George or Neil, left the atrium, hoping a walk through Diagon Alley would help clear her head, calm her mind and cool her down.

She ignored the lone cameraman waiting outside the doors: once he saw she was alone and that couple was coming out behind her, he let her walk back to her flat in peace. She took her time, trying to rid her mind of images of Cedric and Jon, of all the happy couples, all the flirting. She put two fingers to her lips as she sucked in a breath: it had been so long since she kissed anyone, since the kiss _meant_ anything. Towards the end, kissing Charlie had been safe, routine. But kissing Cedric had always been…

She wiped a hand across her cheek in frustration. She and Cedric were through. There was no point in trying to relive the past. She didn't have time to live or think about the past. She had Sirius to save.

She watched Fred enter the shop with a skip in his step and a whistle on his lips from the corner she was standing at. Biting her lip she slowed her pace, not wanting to have to face Fred's infinitely happier mood when she was in a tipsy slump.

When she finally entered the shop, Neil was just leaving. He picked her up, squeezing her tightly and kissing her loudly on the cheek. "He's felt the same way, but he was confused," he kissed her again, "thank you, thank you, thank you." He was too caught up in his own bliss that he didn't notice her sad eyes as he walked out humming.

She sighed as she closed the door quietly tiptoeing to her room. She didn't even bother to slip off the dress or to take her hair out of its relatively-fancy bun. She laid down on top of the blankets, afraid to close her eyes.

She might have been surrounded by people she loved, but she had not felt this alone since Sirius had died.

She was lonely.

--

A/N: Please review! I know this is a random place to end, but we're at like 14,000 words, so….PLEASE PLEASE review! Sorry the match was so short and not very exciting or anything, but I was tired of even writing about it….and sorry about the end of Jon, that it was so random and quick but I realized that she wasn't being seen as 'just a friend' enough like she had in the beginning/like I wanted her to. So. Thoughts? And Jon just wants to fool around!


	19. Second Chances

A/N: PLEASE Review!!!! I know this is a random spot to start a chapter, but the last one was getting so damn long…..

--

_**Second Chances**_

_**Or, If at First You Don't Succeed When Trying to Defeat the Veil**_

The next day might have been Saturday, but she wasn't going to spend it around couples. She went to the Ministry early, foolishly picking up a paper on her way. And there she was, alongside all the new couples (thankfully not Neil and George yet), with the blaring caption, "Adelaide Hayworth - Alone. Worst Luck in Love or Worst Girlfriend in all Britain?"

She threw the paper into the trash as soon as she got into her office. She had accepted the fact when she woke up – alone - that she was destined to always be a friend. Maybe it had been a foolish, drunken hope that someone as attractive as Jon would want her, maybe it was the reminder of her failure with Charlie, of her irreparable past with Cedric that had solidified this fact, but the barb from the _Prophet_ no matter how untrue, really stung.

She was always going to be that girl. That 'you're such a great friend' girl. That 'you're a fantastic Quidditch player' girl. That 'you're so awesome, I forgot you weren't a guy' girl. That 'I can tell you everything' girl. But never a girlfriend. Never someone you'd see yourself with in a romantic sense. Sure, someone you might want to back you up in a fight or a duel. But never someone you would take on a date or to a ball. Maybe she had had her chance with Charlie and Cedric and had blew it. What was the likelihood that anyone else, ever, was going to see her as a girl?

Maybe the _Prophet _was right. She was 'unlucky in love'. But did she care? Did she need romantic love like that? She had her friends and her family, didn't she?

Men were fascinated by her Quidditch skills and the respect she commanded on and off the pitch. Maybe Hermione was right: they were intimidated by her intelligence and her confidence, just like men were of Ginny and Hermione. But Adelaide doubted that like Hermione and Ginny she'd ever find her 'Harry' or her 'Fred'. She faced the facts and she accepted them. She was too cool and didn't look nearly as good in a dress.

Clearing her mind of all thoughts, she walked to the Death Room, more determined than ever to get Sirius back.

--

She threw herself into her work. She woke up early, went to bed late and worked most weekends. She wore her "casual clothes" sometimes resorting to a quick 'cleaning' spell when she would fall asleep in them. She kept up appearances, going to the St. Ottery dinner where Neil and George told everyone they were dating, she would get lunch with Remus and would stop by to say hello to her father at work. But everyone was too preoccupied with their own lives to notice Adelaide's frequent absences, her abnormal behavior, or the dark circles forming under her eyes.

She told the Minister she was throwing a few ideas around but didn't want to get anyone too excited and so she decided to keep her work quiet. This wasn't a complete lie, of course. She was attempting to create a better, more efficient Wolfsbane, but didn't want to get Remus (or Tonks and Fleur, really) too excited.

Hermione had even stopped visiting: she was dating Fred and was working closely with Kingsley, Remus and Percy on various things that Adelaide had paid little attention to.

She knew she was letting the room consume her. She hadn't had an uninterrupted night's sleep in weeks. She could rarely finish an entire meal and when she was in the presence of others she could barely pay attention to the conversation. But if no one noticed, surely it wasn't so bad. Her friends would intervene if they thought there was a problem.

Even the _Daily Prophet_ noted her "absence from the dating scene" after growing bored of Neil and George, Fred and Hermione and Cedric and his blonde. They wondered if perhaps she was "holed up some where with a mystery lover" but decided it was more likely she was "hiding away, ashamed over her failed love life" or "licking her wounds". After a few days of particularly insulting, demeaning and ridiculous assumptions about Adelaide, an apology was printed.

_"The author of these recent columns has been sacked. They had no right to insult or print false information about Ms. Adelaide Hayworth, a witch that our country is grateful to have. Ms. Hayworth is a true hero and we sincerely apologize for the terrible things that have recently been printed."_

--

Once the Lupins moved out of Grimmauld Place for good and once they were thrown a proper 'cottage warming', Adelaide pleaded with Harry to let her occasionally stay at Grimmauld Place. She worried that he would refuse her, but how could he when she was sharing a flat with two couples? Harry was too nice to force her to put up with it.

The first night she cried into his childhood bed until she fell asleep, only to wake hours later feeling lonelier than she had ever felt. Picking herself up she searched through his room, looking at old photographs of a younger, healthier, happy Sirius with a young Remus and Harry's twin. She hoped that perhaps if she got a sense of who Sirius was before Azkaban, if she could somehow get closer to him, she could finally pull him back through the Veil.

Everyday for nearly a week she scoured through the house in search of "Sirius" and fell asleep in odd places only to wake up hours later from a nightmare she could not recount. It was the night she had woken up in the Black family library, an extremely old and dark-magic tome across her lap that she finally decided enough was enough. She was Adelaide Hayworth! She was a strong, intelligent witch with great friends who -

She had passed a mirror. With friends who hadn't noticed she looked like death herself. She jumped when the clock struck 1 loudly. It was time she checked herself into St. Mungo's for the night. She needed a day's worth of sleep. And since it was now Saturday, she didn't need to miss a day of work.

She smiled tiredly at the receptionist, "Name?"

"Adelaide Hayworth?"

The elderly woman looked surprised, peering at her over the rim of her glasses, "Problem?"

"Insomnia."

The woman looked slightly suspicious, "How long?"

Adelaide thought for a moment, "About a month, but worse for the past week."

The woman nodded, "We can't give you -"

Adelaide shook her head, "I just want to sleep - maybe some fluids or something? A bit of calming draught to start me off?"

The woman frowned slightly and looking out at the empty waiting room beckoned Adelaide to follow her.

Adelaide was asleep on the bed before the woman had left to get a Mediwitch.

--

Adelaide woke up nearly 48 hours later and checked herself out feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the Veil. As soon as she went back to her flat to change.

She hadn't however, expected Neil to be waiting for her on the couch when she stepped through the Floo. "Where have you been?"

"S-sorry?"

He was peering into her face, "Cedric said you looked like shite."

"Pardon me?"

Neil ignored her obvious irritation, "Said he was worried about you - you were at St. Mungo's and looked like shite? Said I should be more mindful of your well-being," he shrugged, "but you look fine! He must be off his rocker."

She couldn't think straight.

"Must have been those articles that made him worry - but you weren't worried about them, were you?" He didn't wait for her to answer, "Well, going out to the pubs with the teams, want in? Think Jon's single again."

She attempted a smile, "I've got some paperwork to finish up, thanks."

He shrugged and left, leaving Adelaide alone to wonder what had happened to everyone. Did they really think that she was fine? Were they so caught up in their own lives that it was Cedric, someone who so vehemently hated her and never saw her, noticed that something was wrong? And when had he seen her at St. Mungo's?

She changed quickly. She was going to bring back Sirius. She had to. Staring at herself in the mirror she nodded. She had to prove to herself that she could.

And she did.

--

She could tell that this time was different. This time it felt right. When she could feel her magic and her energy gathering together, she focused on Sirius, as he was when he was young and as he was when she knew him. Gritting her teeth she focused, the hairs on her arm sticking up, the air around her bristling with static energy. She willed the Veil to reveal its true self, she tried to reach out with her mind and her magic to pull it back.

And then she heard voices. Only a few. She had discovered that very few had fallen through the Veil, but she was only bringing back one: the rest had known what they were doing when they had gone through. She tried to ignore the extraneous voices, to focus on one. "Sirius," she called out through gritted teeth, "where are you?"

She could feel her strength weakening her focus drifting as the other voices called out to her, but she struggled to stay awake to stay focused. She tried again, "Sirius!"

And then she heard him, "Adelaide?" He sounded frightened and sluggish.

She focused her energy, her magic and her strength on his voice and with one last great push she reached out to him, pulling back on the invisible line her magic had formed when she felt a tug.

He seemed to appear out of nowhere. His face swam in front of hers for a moment before everything went black.

--

Cedric was not enjoying himself. How could he when he knew something wasn't right with Adelaide. And why couldn't anyone believe him?

Why would Adelaide willingly check herself in to St. Mungo's? For sleep deprivation no less? Was she having nightmares? Overworking herself? When he had seen her name on the patient list his heart had nearly stopped. He ran to her room, his face pale and his breath shallow as he demanded that she be admitted to his care. The Mediwitch was rightfully confused: "She just wanted some rest, sir."

She looked like hell. Her face wasn't pale, but she was already losing some of her tan. She looked thinner. She had large, dark circles under her eyes. Her mouth was pulled into a tight line and as he watched her face contorting slightly in pain and Cedric instinctively took her hand, holding it comfortingly as she had done once. When he was in the Hospital Wing after the tournament.

He tensed when Emma touched his arm. "Come on, love! What's wrong? You haven't even touched your pint! Or noticed my new dress!" She pouted and he tried not to grimace.

"Sorry, just a lot on my mind."

She leaned closer to him, a smirk playing on her lips, "I can help with that -"

He nearly jumped away from her, "Uh, no, sorry, must run. Not feeling well, just remembered -" he shrugged, not even bothering to finish the lie as he looked for Neil.

Who was attached to George's hip. Not that he minded. Neil deserved to be happy. But then again, Adelaide deserved friends who noticed when something was so clearly wrong. "Uh, Hayworth? Where'd you say your sister was?"

Neil stared at him suspiciously, "Said she was fine. Had a lot of paperwork to finish." He watched Cedric turn to leave, "Oi, where -" but Cedric was gone. "Nutter."

He knocked loudly on the door of the flat to no avail. He Apparated in, thankful the wards recognized him. When he saw that her bedroom door was open and her room dark he frowned and Apparated to the Ministry. He had just wanted to check up on her, and part of him realized to apologize. But now he was worried that something had happened to her.

The Ministry was empty and eerily silent as he got into the elevator. He had been to the Department of Mysteries: one night when he couldn't sleep he had gone to see what Adelaide had done to it. The visit, of course, did not help him sleep.

It was empty. But all of the lights were on, the walls a nice yellow. Frowning he walked to the back where the office was. Her things were there, but she wasn't. "Adelaide?" He called hesitantly to the large, empty room. He tried again. Still no answer. Now he was growing desperate: where was she? He raised his wand, hoping he could Detect her. Nothing. He let out a frustrated groan.

Was that an echo? He heard the noise again. That was no echo. He tried every anti-concealment and detection spell he could think of as he attempted to follow the noise. To a recently revealed door. He opened it frantically and nearly yelled in shock and horror.

There was Sirius, holding his head and groaning in pain next to a still Adelaide. His breathing nearly stopped as he sprinted over to them, "Sirius?"

Sirius attempted to raise a finger to the Veil, but couldn't speak.

Cedric levitated Sirius with his wand before gingerly picking up Adelaide's limp body in his arms, his face hard. When he reached the door, he turned, angry at everything and everyone but mostly at himself and with a few flicks of his wand and a few choice words he demolished the room. And the Veil with it.

--

"You need to go home, Diggory."

Cedric blinked, his eyes focusing on the person sitting across from him, "I'm fine, Paul."

The man stared incredulously at him, "You haven't slept in two days, Cedric."

"I'm her Healer, Paul. I have to stay."

Paul frowned, watching Cedric's head drop onto his lap as he leaned forward in the chair. "There's not much you can do right now, mate."

Cedric stood up, "I have to try!" His voice rose, "I have to do something."

"She's doing to wake up, mate. Give her time."

Cedric walked away, unable to listen to another lecture from someone. Adelaide had to wake up. She was strong - And he needed to apologize to her, beg her forgiveness. If she didn't wake up - he tried not to think about what he would do. He had to stay positive. And he had to stay here. And he didn't need people to keep telling him to go home.

He walked into her room, ready to check her stats and her chart for the fifth time in two hours, but was surprised to find Mr. and Mrs. Hayworth sitting on either side of her bed. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. -"

"Cedric, please," Raymond offered a weak smile, "Stay. We don't want to intrude on your work."

Cedric nodded stiffly grabbing her chart and glancing over it. There was no change - "They said this was different than the last time."

"I compared the files, yes."

Sara's voice was soft, "Should we tell Jack to come back home?"

Cedric swallowed. "I'm doing everything -" he frowned, knowing he couldn't lie to the people he had always considered family. They needed him to be honest. And he needed to be honest with himself. "I don't know what to tell you. I'm doing all I can, I don't know how to get her to wake up." Sara blinked rapidly and nodded, turning back to Adelaide's serene face. "But she's strong. Ms. Hayworth, if anyone has a chance, she does."

A Mediwitch hurried in, "Healer Diggory?" Cedric excused himself and hurried out. "Mr. Black is awake."

Cedric's heart raced and he nearly ran the few hundred feet to Sirius's room. "Diggory! Where's Adelaide? What's going on?"

Cedric couldn't help but laugh and turned to a Mediwitch, "Call Mr. Potter, please. And Mr. Lupin."

"Is it safe for me to be here? Aren't I going to be arrested? Since when are you a Healer?"

Cedric smiled as Sirius fired off questions and tried to get out of bed. "Harry and Remus can answer some of your questions. But first, let's check out your vitals, yea?" He busied himself waving his wand over Sirius's body, a new wave of exhaustion hitting him as he was aware of Sirius's eyes on him. "She hasn't woken up yet."

"How did she do it? Is everyone friends with her again? Is the War over?" He paused as Cedric's answer sunk in, "Is she going to be okay?"

Cedric didn't meet his eyes, "We've doing everything we can."

"Diggory -"

"I don't know what to tell you, Black. I'm doing everything I can." He continued checking his status, "Harry and Remus were here earlier, but I made them go home. Otherwise they would have been here when you woke up."

Sirius didn't respond for a long moment, "The War's over?"

"Since May."

"What month is it?"

"September."

"Sirius!" Cedric felt as though he were intruding on a family reunion as Harry and Remus raced in and with a nod to Remus, he left. He had known Sirius and had become friends with him while stuck at Grimmauld Place, but he knew Harry and Remus deserved time with him.

A few hours later, Sirius was resting, Harry was sitting in the waiting room, too excited and nervous to sleep and everyone else had gone home. Exhausted, Cedric trudged back to Adelaide's room. He bit the inside of his cheek as he stood just inside the door. Running a hand through his hair he approached her bed, taking a shuddering breath as he thought about what he could say to her.

"Adelaide," he whispered, sitting in the chair next to her bed and taking her hand lightly in his, "I, I don't know how to, I wanted to," he swallowed, licking his suddenly dry lips. "I don't know if you can even hear me, Addie. But, I want to - I need to apologize to you. You didn't deserve to be treated the way I have been treating you. I wanted to forgive you, and a part of me did, but I was still so upset, still so - so _heartbroken _and I didn't know if I could face you, if I could just be your friend." He ran his hand through his hair again, "This is a terrible apology, I'm bumbling it all up," he frowned, "I loved you, Addie - I still do. And if you d - don't wake up, I don't know how I'll live with myself for never having apologized, for never being your friend again." He blinked back tears as he stared at her face, a finger reaching up to touch her cheek lightly. "I never wanted to hurt you, Addie. I was a mess when you were in St. Mungo's that first time. I've been so proud of you since the War, but I -" he looked up at the ceiling, "I was jealous of Charlie. And of Jon. And of everyone else you even looked at. Merlin, Adelaide, those years when no one knew where you were, I hated myself. I told myself I hated you, but I never did. I could never hate you."

He swallowed. "I'm sorry, Adelaide. Please, please, forgive me." He didn't want to leave her side. He wanted to stay with her, but he knew he had to try to be more proactive. He needed to heal her properly. Wasn't he a good Healer? A great Healer? He sat up in his chair, "It would have been a terrible trade-off," he whispered.

He reluctantly left her room and to the first Mediwich he found said sternly, "If she so much as moves, you owl me _straight_ away, do you understand?"

The mediwitch nodded, "Are you finally going home?"

"For a few hours," he lied, handing her his white Healer's coat, "do you mind putting this in my office?" The Mediwitch nodded as she watched him Apparate out of the hallway. He couldn't face Harry now. He needed to go back to her office.

--

He smiled as his eyes traveled over her clutter-free and organized desk, "Typical Addie," he muttered to himself, his eyes landing on a picture of her, Neil and Jack, brooms in hand, after their first Quidditch match. They all looked so young, wide grins plastered to their faces as their teammates celebrated behind them. He smiled at how tiny Adelaide looked between her two brothers.

He sat down in her chair, trying not to think about what she must have looked like, sitting in this chair, at this desk, taking meetings with the Minister, giving pep talks to her team. He quickly flipped through the few things on her desk, mostly memos and notes from Kingsley about 'hiring a fourth person', a thank you note from Malfoy and Milton and another thank you from Kingsley for finishing such 'precise and perfect Time Turners'. He opened the top drawer, not surprised to find Muggle pens, various pieces of parchment with scribbles on them in Adelaide's familiar hand, and various other random things. Closing the top drawer, he opened the next drawer down and let out a soft and disbelieving chuckle when his eyes landed on a picture of them dancing at the Yule Ball.

He picked up the picture delicately, his fingers tracing her as she smiled at him as he led her across the Great Hall, everyone else's faces lost to the darkness around them. It was just the pair of them, looking happy and carefree. He blinked back tears, not sure if they were tears of joy, anger, or anguish. What if she never woke up? What if she did wake up but they could never be this happy again? He continued to stare at her picture, though he didn't need to. Not a day went by that he hadn't thought about her. And the Yule Ball had been one of the happiest of his life, even if they had had yet to confess their feelings for each other. She looked beautiful. But when did she ever not look beautiful?

He didn't mean to get lost in his own thoughts, but the picture of them at the dance, the fear that he could never apologize to her in person, and his physical, mental and emotional exhaustion did not help. He started to reminisce about their short romantic relationship.

* * * *

"Addie," he begged as he attempted to keep the classroom door shut as various calls of 'Cedric! Take me to the dance!' came from several girls on the other side. "You're not going with anyone yet, are you?" His hazel eyes were wide and pleading with her, "Please, _please_, Addie?"

She sat down causally on a desk, wanting to see how long she could tease him until he snapped. A furious Head Boy would be a very funny sight. "I don't know, Cedric. I mean, you only want to go with me to protect you. The twins or Ron or even Milton would actually want to go with me."

His jaw dropped as she cocked an eyebrow and tried not to smirk. "No, Adelaide, of course I want to go with you!" He was visibly upset and Adelaide's composed face faltered slightly. "Who else would I want to go with? I was going to ask you - a bit more properly but, well, this happened."

She tried to hide a small smile, "But Cedric, really! You're the most eligible - the - well, all the girls love you, don't they? Wouldn't you rather go with one of them? Someone who looks better in a dress?"

Cedric scoffed, "Addie, please. I've seen you in a dress - not a proper one for a ball, but you look great in a dress!" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I mean, of course I want to go with you. All those other girls are nutters!"

* * * *

Cedric remembered the death glares nearly every girl at Hogwarts shot Adelaide when word got out that she was his date. Milton, oddly enough, had told off some of his Housemates for glaring at her and teasing them. Adelaide had thought nothing of it, but Cedric knew that somehow Adelaide had managed to have people who respected her in every House without even trying. And typical Adelaide, she had no idea how charismatic she actually was.

Adelaide laughed off the glares and stares, not really caring that a few second-year Hufflpuff's may hate her. He had overheard Ginny tell Adelaide one day that everyone hated her because, yes, she was going with the Head Boy, Hogwarts Champion and best-looking guy at Hogwarts, but also because she was so pretty, so smart, so good at Quidditch and so effortlessly cool that everyone was jealous. He remembered the way she had thrown her head back and laughed hysterically, arguing that there were plenty of other girls who were far prettier.

His friends had been a bit peeved at first that he wasn't taking a Hufflepuff, but Cook eventually told the others to 'knock it off', that they all knew he was going to take Adelaide in the long run.

* * * *

She looked beautiful. Not that he hadn't always thought she was, but that night, at that moment when she walked down the girl's stairs into the Ravenclaw common room, with that huge, beautiful smile, she was perfect. He could hardly hide his grin when she curtsied clumsily in jest, the beautiful sound of her laugh when he bowed. "You clean up nice, Diggory."

He grinned at her, "You put us all to shame, Hayworth." He offered her his arm, saying a quick hello to Jack, Cymbelia, Ewan and Norah before leading them out. He remembered the way she had leaned in to whisper, "Norah made me wear make up."

He had pretended to scrutinize her face and laughed, but he couldn't help to stare at her. She had never needed to wear make up, but the minimal amount she was wearing only accentuated her unusual pale grey eyes and gave her a soft, overall glow. "Well, I think she did a fine job."

It was always Adelaide who made Cedric more comfortable and more confident around others. It was Adelaide who had been his first real friend, who had helped break him out of his shell. Over the years he had come into his own, especially amongst the shy, reserved Hufflepuffs. Cedric was Quidditch Captain, Head Boy and Hogwarts Champion. He excelled in all of his subjects, and he had had his fair share of admirers

But as they stepped into the Great Hall, into the spotlight, as everyone around them seemed to turn all their attention towards them, he could feel her tense up a bit. Adelaide Hayworth, who had never shied away from anything, who had been at the forefront of school gossip, who was accustomed to the attention Quidditch and her occasional mouth brought, was nervous.

This had made Cedric smile slightly his hazel eyes crinkling in amusement. A few years ago, he might have been scared simply because Adelaide was, but he was the Hogwarts Champion. He had begged her to accompany him. But who knew Adelaide, his rock, the strong, intimidating Adelaide Hayworth, would grow nervous at the idea of having to dance in front of her classmates?

With a smile, he took her hand and bowed lowly, putting his other hand on the small of her back and holding her closer than was deemed necessary.

He had tried not to laugh at her astonished expression and simply nodded slightly at her to follow his steps. He knew the steps by heart, thanks to impromptu lessons from his mum and a few 'refresher lessons' he'd done - by himself - the past days and let his mind wander. Or more specifically, his eyes.

Her focus was on her feet, although this was rather unnecessary: Cedric knew she was coordinated enough to follow him without much instruction. His eyes skimmed down her body, something he had been increasingly aware of thanks to summers by the pond.

She was wearing a simple yet gorgeous dress. With a smile that would make any of his admirers melt (although, of course, he was unaware of that) he whispered, "Addie," his heart skipping a beat when she looked up with the most adorable face, what Neil had liked to call her 'concentrating look'. "You didn't have to worry, I'm here with the best looking girl and the best-looking dress."

His smile only grew when he saw her cheeks flush, not able to respond because she was concentrating so hard. "Addie come on," he whispered, his lips now near her ear, "I know what I'm doing, just follow my lead. You don't need to concentrate so hard."

She shook her head slightly, "I don't want to embarrass you."

To this day he could not describe what he felt at that moment. Joy? Hope? Pride? He could only shift his head slightly to stare down into her beautiful, expressive pale grey eyes, "You could never embarrass me."

He swore he felt her shiver slightly but the song had ended and taking her hand, he led her off the dance floor so she could shake off her nerves. And so he could cool down.

**

He put the photo down. Now was not time to think about the "good times". He reluctantly put the photo back in the drawer: how had she gotten a copy of this picture? Who had even taken it? Closing the drawer, he attempted to open the next door, but found it locked. His heart rate quickened. This must be a good sign.

But knowing Adelaide, it wasn't going to be a simple locking spell. Thankfully, Cedric was well versed in her preferred locking spells. Inside were stacks and stacks of scribbled notes, meticulous memos and two leather-bound journals. With shaking hands, he put the contents of the drawer on her desk and began to quickly skim through the notes. Spells she had tried that had failed; ways she could alter said spells; notes on death and dark magic; and notes on Sirius. But there was nothing that could help him diagnose her or wake her up. He opened the first leather-bound journal, but all it said was, "You can not give up," in her familiar loopy print. He picked up the second, noticeably more worn journal. The first page was dated nearly 3 years ago and Cedric could only assume was her log of research and experiments. He flipped through, stopping when he got to an inserted page towards the end of the journal.

_Time Turner worked: I barely even had to consider the consequences before I used it to save Fred and Cedric. They, of course, can never know if only because I don't want them to feel indebted to me. Then I gave it to Remus in case something happened to me while I attempted to enter the minds and souls of the Death Eaters. It worked. It drained me of nearly all of my magic, but I killed a large number of Death Eaters. I don't know how exactly, but it's better this way. No one else can ever attempt such a stunt._

Cedric sat there, completely stunned as his eyes traveled across the paper again. He had died? He had died and she had ignored the laws of time and had gone back to save him with a Time Turner she had made from scratch?

He had to remind himself to keep breathing.

More determined now than ever, he flipped to the last two pages of her journal, hoping for any hint at what she had attempted. He read the last paragraph over and over again. She had used an impressive amount of complicated magic to essentially call on Sirius and almost literally pull him out.

He leaned back in the chair, rubbing his hands tiredly over his face before gathering up her notes and heading back to St. Mungo's.

--

He was not entirely surprised to see Sirius at her bedside. "You need your rest, Black, you've had an overwhelming day."

"I've been resting for years, Doc, I'm fine." His steel-blue eyes followed Cedric as he sat down tiredly in the corner chair. "I think it's you that needs some rest, Diggory."

"I'm her Healer. I need to wake her up." He eyed Sirius, "Did Remus tell you -"

"How he was a prat to her after I - _disappeared_," he stumbled over the word, clearly not comfortable saying died. "And how you're being a prat now?" He frowned, "Well, until you found us."

Cedric nodded, his mouth tight.

"How did she -"

He handed Sirius the memos, the journals locked in his desk drawer, "You're guess is as good as mine." He sighed, "Sounds like - from her formal logs - that she just called for you and pulled you out."

"With ridiculous amounts of magic."

"Precisely." He watched Sirius for a moment, "Do you think I could have a moment with her -"

Sirius nodded and stood, "But then you have to promise to sleep."

Cedric nodded gravely and Sirius left to read the paper in his own room. Cedric took the now empty seat, taking Adelaide's hand in his, his sad, regretful, hazel eyes plastered to her face. He took a deep breath.

"Addie," he let his magic thrum slightly around him, hoping to somehow restart her to call on her like she did to Sirius. He sighed when nothing happened. "Adelaide, I doubt you can hear me, but I know you saved me at the Battle. And I know you don't want my thanks, but. Thank you. I know that you thought you were doing what was right by bringing back Sirius, but I wish that you had told someone. I'm sorry that you felt that you had to save him," he frowned, "and I'm sorry that you felt obligated to apologize to me."

He let out a soft chuckle, "Remember that day before the Third Task when we just sat out by the lake, watching the clouds even though it was chilly and avoiding everyone? That was one of the happiest memories that kept me sane during the War. Just being with you, being carefree and happy." He wiped a tear from his face quickly. "Do you remember that day? Neil was on your case about something and we could barely shake off everybody before we ran down to the lake."

He stopped himself. "That really was one of the happiest moments of 7th Year." He paused for a long moment." Emma means nothings to me. I doubt anyone can replace you. No one knows me like you do. No one sees me like you do. I'll always just be some pretty-boy, hot-shot Healer who was apparently popular real reasons, the reasons that matter. I tried to go on dates, to get over you - mostly to get Neil off my back but -" jealous of you and Jon because the pictures always seemed so happy, but, I guess he just wanted to test the waters. He doesn't know what he's missing, Adelaide. Me, I doubt I'll ever find someone; after what I've done to you I don't deserve to be happy. But Adelaide, you're going to find someone who makes you happy, who deserves you. And when you do, I hope you'll be able to forgive me. And I hope we can be friends."

He heard footsteps and with a quick kiss on her cheek he whispered, "I love you," before Sirius walked in to send him to bed.

* * * *

_He had never felt more wanted, more understood, more wonderful, more alive than when she was around. Sure, everyone loved Cedric, everybody - except maybe some Slytherins - respected him, and nearly every girl in school ogled him and wanted to date him. But none of that really meant anything to him. All he wanted was to be around her, was for her to be his friend, for her to respect him. She knew him better than anyone. She understood him._

_She never felt more beautiful or more alive around him. He didn't make her feel like she was 'one of the guys' like everyone else, nor did he treat her like a delicate flower. He understood her drive, he called her out when she was being unfair and he understood her desire to be treated like everyone else. And here he was the most attractive, most unselfish, most shy popular boy she had ever met and he loved __her__. How could she not feel beautiful?_

* * * *

She was flying around the pitch, cursing under her breath, but he could still make out 'Neil' and 'wanker'. Shaking his head, he pulled his yellow-and-black scarf tighter and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Oi, Hayworth."

He laughed as she turned, startled before landing in front of him. "Yea?" She had meant it to sound irritated, but she was too out of breath.

He smiled slightly, his hair whipping in the mind, "What in Merlin's name are you doing out here?"

She licked her suddenly dry lips; damn Neil and damn his ridiculously overactive imagination, "Flying."

He laughed and slung his arm around her shoulders guiding her back to the castle. "It's freezing." He frowned and pulled her tighter against him, "You're freezing."

"Cedric, I'm fine!"

He frowned, "All right, all right, Addie. Merlin, what did I do?"

"N-nothing. It was just bloody stupid, Neil."

Cedric rolled his eyes, "It always is."

She sneaked a glance in his direction before quickly turning back to the ground. She was going to kill Neil for planting such a ridiculous idea in her head. Snog Cedric! He was here best friend!

"A bloody attractive best friend with the body of a man who is clearly and obviously smitten with you."

Bloody Neil.

* * * *

He felt her next to him before he saw her. He could feel her hand in his her hand in his hair scratching his scalp lightly like she did when he couldn't sleep. He could feel her body next to his, her leg pressed against his, her arm around his shoulder, her head on top of his. And though he had no idea where he was or what had happened, he felt safe because she was there.

He blinked open his eyes slowly and managed to croak out, "Addie?" before her face was centimeters from his, tears in her eyes, her cheeks still obviously damp.

Her smile was wide, "Merlin, Cedric," she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her. He buried his face in her neck as the memories flooded back and he shuddered involuntarily. She pulled his head up, her hands on either side of his face and kissed both cheeks frantically before pressing her lips against his, all her worry, anxiety and fear nearly overwhelming him.

They were both breathless when she rested her forehead against his. "Harry?"

"Talking to Dumbledore," she whispered. "I should get your parents -"

He sat back against the pillows, pulling her alongside him, "Not yet," he whispered his hand intertwining with hers.

* * * *

---------

"Where am I?"

His blue-grey eyes shot to the bed, his mouth cracking into a smile, one hand immediately grasping hers, as the other brushed hair away from her face. "You're at St. Mungo's."

"Sirius?" She turned her head quickly, her grey eyes wide and scared. "Am I dreaming?"

He let out a watery chuckle, "You saved me, don't you remember?"

She but her lip, frowning, "No, I-I don't." She looked around the room, "Was Cedric here?"

"Yea, nearly the entire time you've been here. He's finally sleeping." He watched her eyes travel back up to the ceiling. "Thank you for saving me."

She looked back at him and attempted to smile, "I wish I could say 'your welcome' but I don't remember." She looked at him thoughtfully, "How long have I been out?"

"A few days," he smiled, "I should probably get a Mediwitch. Tell them your aware." He watched her nod, the same forlorn and confused look on her face, her eyes blank. Had she been like this before? Or was this a symptom of being unconscious for three days?"

She didn't watch him leave, nor did she seem to have heard him: she just stared at the ceiling. And by the time he came back with two Mediwitches, she was sleeping. "I'll get Healer Diggory," one said and turned to other, "you Floo her family."

"And the Minister."

They stared incredulously at Sirius, but he nodded, "He's going to want to know."

Not five minutes after they left, Cedric burst into the room, his eyes wide, his light brown hair as a mess as he adjusted his Muggle tie and his Healer's jacket. His eyes darted from the bed to Sirius, "What happened?"

"She woke up -"

"When? What were her vitals, what -"

He hovered her bed, his eyes darting across her peaceful face. Sirius put a hand on his arm. "She was awake for a few minutes, but didn't remember saving me." He hesitated. "She asked about you."

Cedric looked at him, his eyes nearly wild with disbelief, relief and something else Sirius couldn't decipher, "She -"

Her head thrashed to the side, her arm tensing, her leg moving wildly as she let out a low groan. Both men turned back towards her. As soon as Cedric touched her arm she stilled.

Sirius started towards the door, "I'll be in the waiting room, Doc."

Cedric didn't respond. Did he wake her? Did he let her rest? He wanted to apologize as soon as he could, but he wanted her to be completely well soon. He expected her family and nearly everyone would be here soon and he needed something concrete to tell them. He had removed his hands from her arm for only a moment when she let out a whimper. Was she still having nightmares?

He sat on the side of her bed, stroking her hair with one hand and rubbing soothing circles on her hand with his thumb like she had done for him so long ago.

"Cedric?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oh, Merlin, Addie," he started to reach out to touch her cheek but he pulled back, "How are you feeling?"

She was hesitant, "Exhausted."

He opened his mouth to apologize, but stopped. He needed to be her Healer first..."Addie, I'm so sorry, I-"

She squeezed his hand, "I know."

He faltered, "You - you know?"

She nodded, smiling slightly, "I heard you." She thought for a moment, "I was unconscious, but I _heard_ you." Her eyes met his, millions of emotions flooding through them both. "I only heard _you_."

Cedric opened his mouth but could not think of one thing to say to her. Her eyes bore into his and he felt immensely guilty. "Adelaide, I am sorry," he started again but she closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "I - I went through your files, to - to see if they could help to - heal you quicker!"

Her eyes shot open, "You -" she swallowed, "journals?" she managed.

"No one else saw them," he leaned closer, "I know you don't want to hear it, but -"

"We're even," she whispered, "but no one else can know. Especially the twins."

He nodded, "Adelaide," he started again, but was interrupted when more than a dozen people burst through the door followed by a mediwitch shouting, "Only 7 visitors at a time!"

Cedric stood up and with great authority said, "As long as they don't yell and allow Ms. Hayworth her rest, they can all stay."

"But -"

"They are her family and I am her Healer. I'm allowing it." With a meek nod the woman left.

Cedric stepped away from the bed so everyone could fawn over her. Her parents hugged and kissed her, chiding her for not telling anyone what she was up to and praising her on saving Sirius. Then Neil, gripping George's hand tightly, scolded her before wiping his eyes furiously and apologizing profusely that he was too selfish to notice her odd behavior.

Cedric watched everyone feeling as though he were intruding even though they were all his family too. He had never been as close to the Weasleys as the Hayworths had been, but when he was stuck at Grimmauld Place, he had spent many long hours with Mrs. Weasley who now saw him as one of her own. And he had grown closer to the twins and surprisingly Ron and Bill during and after the War. But as he stood outside the circle around her bed where Teddy was in Sirius's arms, attempting to reach out to his 'Auntie Addie' he felt like the outsider. He wasn't paying much attention to what was actually being said when Remus put his hand on Cedric's shoulder, "Thanks for Healing her, Cedric."

"He's been here for nearly four days straight."

He adjusted his tie when he felt everyone's eyes on him, "Ah, it's just my -"

"Are you two - okay? On speaking terms?" Everyone looked back at Adelaide for an answer and her eyes found his, desperate.

"I apologized for being an idiot, yes, now come on the sooner she rests, the sooner she can be out of here." He starting shoo-ing everyone out, his eyes finding hers briefly, her gratitude nearly overwhelming him. She hated having everyone's attention on her. But it was difficult to get everyone out.

"Adelaide, I can't thank you enough for bringing my godfather back -"

"And my best friend -"

Adelaide shook her head, unable to tell them to stop thanking her.

"And his name's already cleared of all charges," Hermione smiled brightly.

"And Kinglsey will probably award you something," Sirius winked.

Adelaide's parents, Neil and Sirius were all who remained after what felt like years of goodbyes and kisses from Fleur. "Jack's going to visit soon - and when you can leave, you'll come stay with us for a few days."

Sara tucked some of her daughter's hair behind her ears, "You'll need some fresh air. It'll do you good."

Adelaide smiled and Cedric was surprised to see that only he could see through it: her eyes were still filled with such inexplicable sadness that he thought his heart would break yet again. They left, although Sara would have preferred to stay with her only daughter. She turned to Sirius, "If you ever want to spend a few days out in the country, Black," she smiled, "I'm glad you're back. You, Remus and I can have much more reminiscing now."

Neil kissed his sister's cheek, apologizing again for being so selfish and for not listening to Cedric. "Cedric stared at his feet. Neil whispered something in to her ear to which she simply replied, "It's fine."

Neil finally left, nodding to Cedric and Sirius.

"Black, you should rest too."

"I'd like to speak with Adelaide first."

Cedric looked at Adelaide and she nodded, "For a few minutes. She needs her rest." He walked to the door, watching Adelaide for a long moment, hesitant to leave her, not wanting her to overexert herself mentally or emotionally. And with a slight pang of jealousy.

He trudged slowly to his office, dropping unceremoniously on to his creaky chair, his head dropping tiredly into his hands.

"Healer Diggoy?" Cedric looked up at the nervous receptionist. "There's someone on the main Floo for you."

Frowning, he followed her to the Floor office. "Charlie?"

Charlie's head nodded, "I heard she woke up. And I heard you're to thank," he paused, "I take it you've made up?"

"I - I've apologized and she doesn't want to hear anymore."

"Diggory," Charlie hesitated for a moment, thinking, "you two are - she really loves you. Everyone who's tried to love her doesn't have a chance. It's always been you." He chuckled, "Don't let her get away. Don't mess this up." He paused, "No one else has ever had a real chance with her."

And before Cedric could even attempt to reply, Charlie was gone.

--

"Why did you do it?" She looked away from him, the intensity of his eyes startling her. "Why did you risk your life for me?"

"You weren't meant to die." Her voice was frail.

"How do you know?" He pleaded, "I _am_ grateful, but Adelaide, why would you risk your life for _me_?"

"You didn't deserve Azkaban, nor did you deserve the Veil. You weren't ready to die."

He watched her closely, "Why not try to save Snape?"

She shut her eyes tightly, willing herself not to cry. "He was ready," he voice shook slightly.

"You risked your sanity and your life for me. Why? Were you really that unhappy?"

She shook her head, "Sirius, _please_."

He frowned stubbornly, "I just -"

"Black," a firm, authoritative voice said from the door, "she doesn't need to explain herself. What's done is done and you're alive." He stared intently at the older man. Sirius let his shoulders drop. "Kate here will walk you back to your room."

"Kate - Bonneville? From Hogwarts?"

The tall, beautiful woman with light brown hair nodded, "Sara told me you were back. Had to see for myself," she smiled, putting her arm around his shoulders, "come on, let's get you to bed." Sirius left without another word.

Adelaide attempted a smile at Cedric, "You did that on purpose."

Cedric let out a soft laugh, "It was your mum's idea. She's a Mediwitch here, supposedly they were acquainted at school."

"Everyone here respects you." She was watching him with those beautiful, wide eyes of hers. He shuffled his feet in slight embarrassment. "Not that anyone ever _didn't_."

He let out a laugh, "Not like they respected you." They stared at each other for a moment before Cedric cleared his throat, "You should get some rest."

He watched her face fall, her eyes grow slightly fearful, "Could you - if you aren't too busy - would you stay with me?"

Her voice was so small and she looked so vulnerable, that he couldn't refuse her. He went to sit in the chair but she said softly, "I never had nightmares with you." He watched her move gingerly, "Please?"

"Of course," he smiled slightly. He wanted to tell her that he owed her his life, wanted to apologize over and over again, but he knew she didn't want to hear it. He sat against the pillows, one arm under her head as she nestled against him. His fingers automatically went to run through her hair. She put a hand over his heart, smiling slightly to herself. She looked up at him, "Thanks."

He covered her hand with his, "You don't need to thank me, Adelaide."

She closed her eyes, her mouth still curved into a smile, "Tell me about your job."

He laughed, her smile growing as she felt the vibrations of his side. He began, softly, to tell her about his duties when her breathing deepened.

He looked down at her, smiling to himself as he too closed his eyes, sleep finally claiming him.

-

"Should we wake them?"

"They both need to sleep."

"But isn't this - unprofessional?"

"They are childhood friends who have just been reunited finally after years of humiliation, war, turmoil and misunderstandings. The least we can do is let them sleep."

--

A/N: Bit of a random place to end, I know, but again, the chapter was getting a bit too long…..now it's only at 8,700 words instead of like 15,000 or whatever it was :) Please review!!!!!!!


	20. New Beginnings

_**New Beginnings**_

After that nap, Adelaide and Cedric barely had another moment of peace: Cedric had to continue to monitor her and Sirius as well as continue with his usual work schedule and Adelaide barely had a moment's rest. Someone was always visiting or a Mediwitch was always demanding she stayed in bed. The third time Paolo, Ben and Charlotte snuck in to ask for help, advice or to brainstorm, Cedric requested Hermione, Remus, Percy and Kingsley's presence immediately.

Adelaide tried to sit up higher in the bed in a subconscious attempt to intimidate him, but he simply put a strong hand on her shoulder. "Minister, I -" she started but Cedric interrupted.

"Minister Shacklebolt, I don't want to get these three in trouble, but Ms. Hayworth is my patient and I do believe you told me to Heal her as quickly and as well as I can?" He ignored Kingsley's nod and Remus's amused smile. "Well, how can I do my job when she is interfering with her recovery by doing her job? Can I suggest a temporary replacement perhaps?"

Adelaide opened her mouth to protest but Cedric continued, "Was it not the Ministry that put Ms. Hayworth and Mr. Black on the top of our priorities?"

Kingsley shrugged at Adelaide, "He's right. It will be best for everyone if you two leave sooner rather than later."

"I nominate Hermione," Remus grinned.

"I second," Percy pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Hermione's mouth fell open as she stared at Adelaide, "Adelaide, I'm sorry -"

She laughed, "Doctor's orders. And you're going to be great anyway."

Hermione bit her lip, "There are some things I'd like to look into to..." She led her new charges out the door followed by a grinning Kingsley, Remus and Percy.

Adelaide glared at Cedric but he shook his head raised a hand, "I'm your Healer first, Adelaide. And if you would rest and refuse a few visitors."

She waved her hand, "Fine, fine, fine."

He contemplated asking her how she was doing, how she was really doing when the twins walked in with lunch trays. With a forced smile and a quick hello, he left.

--

The first thing Sirius did when he was finally discharged was to visit the graves of James, Lily and Severus. He hadn't wanted to believe what Adelaide had always said (and Lily and Remus before her), that he wasn't bad, but Harry wouldn't quit being angry until he had given up and listened and read old _Daily Prophet_'s about his death. They might not have been the best of friends, but Sirius felt obligated to attempt a sort of reconciliation. Even if it was only for his own selfish benefit.

The second thing Sirius did was take Kate on a date.

The third thing he did was spend as much time with Harry, Remus, Teddy and Sara as he could.

He had asked Adelaide how he could ever repay her or properly thank her and she had said simply, "Live."

--

She was finally alone for more than five minutes. She looked out her window, hoping to fall asleep. She had been stuck in this bed, in this hospital for what felt like an eternity and all she wanted was to sit out in the grass.

But she didn't really want to be alone. Yes, she was sick of her constant visitors, thankful as she was that they loved her enough to take time out of their day to see her. But she didn't really want to be alone either.

"How are you doing, Adelaide?"

Adelaide smiled at Kate, "Fine, how was your date?"

The older woman smiled, "He was a perfect gentleman. Can I get you anything? Another book?"

Her eyes traveled to the thick tome she had finished the day before on her bedside table. She hesitated, "Where's C - Healer Diggory?"

The woman tried not to smile too widely, "He's with another patient. I can page him -"

Adelaide shook her head, "Oh, no, that's all right, thanks." Kate turned to leave when Adelaide asked hurriedly, "Parchment and quill?"

--

She tried to focus, but her mind kept wandering. She had tried to stay mad when he called Kingsley but how could she when she saw how confident he had been. In front of the Minister. She had been impressed by his confidence, intelligence and fairness at his job. He had already made a name for himself at this hospital at such a young age.

And his confidence only made him more attractive. If that were even possible. His boyish face was completely gone now and he looked more and more like the men from the old Muggle movies they watched as children. His eyes were still expressive and she could tell that he sometimes seemed nervous and shy around her, but never when he was working. He always knew what he was doing then. But he still had those beautiful eyes, that wonderful hair and that perfect face. And she could tell from the way his clothes and Healer coat hung on him, that he was still in as good a shape as he had been.

--

He stood in the doorway, watching her scribble furiously, bite her lip, count on her fingers and scribble again. Just like she used to. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he crossed his arms and leaned against the frame. "What are you working on?"

She looked so guilty when her head snapped up that he couldn't help but laugh. She eyed him wearily, "Are you teasing me, or are you really angry?"

"Well, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist doing some work, but you really aren't helping yourself to recover quickly." He sat in the chair beside her bed. "Are you allowed to divulge what you're working so intently on?"

He watched her eyes light up like they used to when she was excited about something, "Well, I'm doing some preliminary stuff on Wolfsbane since I don't have access to any books or Potions kit."

"You are aware that there is already a perfectly fine Wolfsbane potion, right? Your memory - and your brain - are still working properly?"

She rolled her eyes, her slight irritation obvious and Cedric was thrilled to see she was treating him just like she used to. "But it could work better, couldn't it?" She shoved her papers on to his lap, "Look, now the Wolfsbane has greatly improved the transformation, but look -" she pointed at some equation and then quickly at a list of ingredients before Cedric could see either of them properly, "I think I could eliminate the transformation completely."

Cedric stared at her as she took her papers back, straightening them on her lap. "You always were better at Potions."

She smiled, "But I might need your Herbology expertise." She sat back against her pillows, "So, any updates on my status? I feel fine."

Cedric bit back a grin, "Back to business, of course, of course." She rolled her eyes again: they really were picking up as though nothing had happened. "Well, would you like to attempt to walk around the hospital?"

Her eyes grew wide with excitement, "Really? Could I see your office?" She had already thrown back her blankets.

He laughed and stood, offering her a hand and helped her gingerly to the floor where he had summoned shoes. "Let's not push it, all right?"

They had barely made it out her door, Adelaide was so tired and not used to using her legs, but she pleaded with him; she wanted nothing more than to get out of her room, out of her bed. She was leaning on him a lot and part of Cedric wanted to tell her she shouldn't push herself so much on the first try, but how could he refuse her? It was better that he was here rather than she attempt something like this on her own.

They started down the hall, her movements small and slow, her face screwed up in concentration, her arm around Cedric's waist, gripping the back of his coat, as she leaned against him. "You all right?" he whispered, watching her. She nodded but didn't reply.

It wasn't until they passed one of the Mediwitches she had become accustomed to that she smiled, waved and tried to stand up a bit straighter. Cedric tried to hide his own smile. "Addie, come on, we should go back."

She shook her head, "We've barely even reached the end of the hall! And I want to see your office!"

"Adelaide, come on your exhausted." She tried to stare at him, hoping that she could intimidate him. But Cedric was no longer so easy to intimidate and he stood his ground. She reluctantly relented. "Fine." They started slowly back to her room, "Tomorrow?"

He shook his head and chuckled, "We'll see, Adelaide."

-

By the third day, they made it to his office where Cedric let her sit at his desk and asked a young Healer-in-Training to bring them some lunch. He watched Adelaide admire everything on his desk, walls and bookshelves. She noticed the picture of them and her brothers on the platform on their last train ride to school, but said nothing as she stared at it for a moment, her lips curling into a big smile. Next to it was a picture of all the St. Ottery residents, Hermione and Harry before the Quidditch World Cup. He watched her stare at the two framed photographs. "We were happy then." She only nodded, not able to meet his eyes as she noticed the stack of folders and papers laying slightly haphazardly on his desk.

"Someone's all important, aren't they?"

He tried not to blush, "Just a few patient files, a few consultants."

There was a quick knock on the doorframe, "Healer Diggory? They need your advice in the ER -" he saw Adelaide, "if you're not busy?"

Cedric stood up quickly and pointed at Adelaide, "Do not try to go anywhere. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Adelaide nodded and Cedric walked briskly out of the room; he was apparently more important here than he let on. She doubted many young Healers were asked for their advice. She continued to snoop around his desk and hesitantly opened one of the files. To her surprise she could barely make any sense of what was written on it. Were these supposed to mean something coherent? Did this person have a small amount of silver in their bloodstream and had been bitten slightly by a werewolf not during a full moon? And they had been exposed to several dangerous and unknown plants?

She was so engrossed in the file that she hadn't heard the young Healer-in-Training come in with the food. "He was transferred here from Romania and Spain. Happened during the War, but no one could figure out what was wrong with him or how they could possibly Heal him. He was here for a while before Ced - Healer Diggory got to him." Adelaide looked at the young dark brown eyes and mocha-colored skin, his head clean shaven. He set the plates on the desk and stuck his hand out. "You may not remember me, but I'm Dan, I'm in training and Healer Diggory is kind of my mentor. I'm a big fan of yours - Quidditch, of course - but I've read all about your Department - it's really fascinating."

She smiled, "Please, sit. You can keep me company until Cedric comes back." He grinned, his smile infectious. "Now, did you go to Hogwarts?"

"Yea, I was in Hufflepuff. Just graduated in May - or, well, over the summer."

"And does everyone have a mentor?"

Dan squirmed slightly in his seat and Adelaide, feeling guilty that she was grilling him, picked up a chip. "Ah, no, it's not a, uh, formal mentoring program or anything, but Healer Diggory knew I had been in his House, saw that I was interested in his fields." He swallowed, "Honestly, I think he felt bad for me and wanted to help."

Adelaide nodded for him to continue as she continued to eat a few of her chips. "I was having a tough time at first - my, my dad was killed during the War - he was Muggle and I had trouble focusing. But, uh, Healer Diggory took me under his wing, really. Helped me out."

Adelaide smiled and said softly, "He really tends to help everyone out, hm?"

They sat in silence for only a moment when Adelaide asked him about some of the things he was learning about or had seen and he spoke with such enthusiasm that Adelaide couldn't help but smile. Neither of them noticed Cedric until he cleared his throat from the doorway.

Dan made to stand up, looking guilty but Cedric only smiled, "I see you've met the infamous Adelaide Hayworth?"

"Yessir. I'm sorry, I brought your food and then -"

"I made him stay and chat with me, Ceddie."

Cedric rolled his eyes, "There are a few scrapes and bruises I'd like you to mend up in the ER. Shouldn't take you very long."

"Yessir!"

"We can grab dinner later if you have time - someone's going to most likely visit Adelaide for dinner anyway so I'll be free. She's my most demanding patient, you know."

DAN grinned and left with a wave.

She eyed him as he sat down and picked up his sandwich. She waited, and when she saw that he wasn't going to say anything she swallowed her chip. "You didn't tell me you had a protege."

"You never asked," he shrugged.

"Sounds like you really helped him out."

"He's a good kid. Just needed a bit of guidance is all. Lots of Healers do it."

"Did you have a mentor?"

Cedric slowly met her eyes, "Well, no, but -"

She smirked, "You're really helping him out."

Cedric could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. "He just needed some help focusing, to see that he would be making a difference," he chewed for a moment. "He's a fast learner. Going to be a great Healer."

"Because he has a great teacher."

Cedric shook his head, "I'm only his mentor."

Adelaide smiled and put her hand on his, "You're more than his mentor, Cedric. He had no one when he first came here and now he has you. You've shown him what he can do, what he can become."

Cedric's eyes fell to her hand that lay over his before lifting slowly back up to her face, lingering briefly on her lips before staring into her beautiful, unique eyes. "You're making me sound like some sort of hero when all I've done is help someone out who didn't deserved to have his father brutally murdered."

Adelaide didn't flinch at his words. "You can say that, Cedric, but I know you know how much you're helping him." She took her hand off his to continue eating their lunch.

The Mediwitches and her various visitors asked if she wanted to go for a walk in the wheelchair, but she always said she was too tired or wasn't in the mood. The truth was, she only wanted to walk with Cedric. He wouldn't judge her, didn't mind her leaning on him. And it was their only real time together.

After she told the Mediwitch a second time that she didn't want to go for a walk, Cedric came to her room, worried and a little agitated. "Oi, why won't you go for a walk? Are you in pain? Are you too tired?"

She smiled slightly, "No, I just wanted to wait until you had some time."

"Oh," he rubbed the back of his neck and her face fell. "But if you're busy, it's fine, I don't want to waste your time -"

Cedric smiled and helped her out of her bed, "No, no, course not, come on."

She didn't have to lean on him as much as she had to before and could actually hold a conversation with him. "There really needs to be a garden or something here for your patients - I know I could use some fresh air and I'm sure others could too."

Cedric frowned, "Logistics - I've been saying that for a while, but it's just not very feasible since we're in London."

She sighed, "I really want to go outside."

Cedric looked at her for a moment: he had gotten too excited when she said she only wanted to walk with him. He was going to set himself up to be rejected eventually, but he couldn't help himself. He knew what he was going to do tomorrow.

--

"You think this is going to get her to forgive you?"

Cedric looked up from his drawers where he was attempting to pick out a Muggle shirt to wear. "Sorry?"

Neil crossed his arms as he leaned against Cedric's bedroom doorframe, "Do you really think bringing her outside to Kensington Garden's is going to make everything all right between you two?"

Cedric turned back around to throw on a shirt, "No, it's not going to fix anything," he stopped, "how is this your business? We've both apologized and we're attempting to be friends. She should be angry at you anyway."

Neil didn't flinch, "Don't try changing the subject, Diggory. Why are you really doing this?"

"Because it will be good for her."

"You have no ulterior motives?"

Cedric was getting irritated, "Fine, to spend more time with her all right? To see her happy! To do something nice for the bloody woman I bloody love."

A slow grin spread across Neil's smug face. He nodded, "Jolly good," and left as what Cedric had verbalized sunk in.

--

She smiled at him as he pushed the wheelchair through the door, "You aren't too busy for a walk?"

He grinned, handing her Muggle clothes, "Get changed. I'll be back in a few. There's a Mediwitch outside the door if you need help."

"Why do I need to put clothes on? I've grown used to this gown!"

Cedric smiled and approached the door, "We're going outside."

She couldn't help the girl on her face as she gingerly put on the clothes he had gotten from her flat. She was going outside. Cedric was taking what she assumed was his day off and spending it pushing her through the park.

She was tying her hair back when he returned to help her into the wheelchair. "You ready to go through Muggle London?"

Her grin was infectious as she nodded vigorously, her child-like excitement spreading to Cedric. "Thanks for this, Cedric."

"Anything for my favorite patient."

She smiled and waved to all the Mediwitches she had come to know as Cedric pushed her through the halls towards the exit. When they got outside she took a deep breath before releasing a satisfied sigh, "It might not be St. Ottery fresh, but it's wonderful." She looked over her should at him, "Thank you."

--

Ginny frowned when she saw the empty room and flagged down a young Healer, "Pardon, where's Adelaide Hayworth?"

The young man smiled, "Ced - Healer Diggory took her for a walk in the park, I believe."

A slow smile crept to her lips, "Well, it's about time," she said to herself and walked back down the hall, ignoring the young Healer's questioning stare.

--

"I don't spend nearly as much time outside as I used to."

"That's because you're spending all your extra time in the hospital helping me," she smiled up at him as he stood next to her wheelchair, looking at across the small pond. A pained smile marred his features and she went to reach for his hand but thought better of it when he spoke.

"I was cooped up during the War too." His voice was tense and low and Adelaide felt a wave of guilt ride over her. She had never bothered to ask Cedric about what he did after she had left. Granted, they'd only been on speaking terms for a short time, but had she ever even given him an opportunity to discuss it? "I couldn't leave Headquarters, or I had to be accompanied into London where I would be stalked by reporters, photographers, people who believed the _Daily Prophet_." He bit back a bitter laugh. "Even when everyone figured out we'd been telling the truth all along it wasn't safe to just wander outside and I spent days in the hospital training. "He looked at her, his face softening, "I understand what it meant to be trapped, Addie. I may have interacted with people, but it was infequent and rare."

"I'm - I'm sorry, Cedric. Do you - want to talk about it?"

He shook his head and looked back out over the water, "No. I'm not ready to -"

She took his hand in hers, "I know. But if you ever need to -" she let her voice float off with the light breeze as they stood there in companionable silence.

The day couldn't have been more perfect. It was beautiful outside, sunny and breezy and cool, a great day to be pushed around the park, practice walking and spend time together, just the two of them without interruption, without the bustle of the hospital.

Cedric was pushing her back through the streets of London when she let out a sigh, "When do I get to go home, doc?"

He laughed, "Well, you did pretty well today and if you promise not to exert yourself at home, I don't see why you can't go back to St. Ottery by the end of the week." His hear swelled when she let out a triumphant laugh and turned slightly in the chair to grin up at him. He was thrilled she'd be going home, but a part of him would miss seeing her everyday.

"You'll come visit, right?" He smile faltered slightly, "I mean, if you aren't too busy?"

He smiled back at her, his eyes lingering on her lips before he turned his attention back to the sidewalk, "Course."

--

Molly Weasley was not going to pass up Adelaide's release from the hospital: it had been weeks since she had hosted and organized a large family party. She didn't care if Charlie and Jack were working, she'd use all the guilt and motherly persuasion she could. She doubted they could refuse her or the fact that it was a party for Adelaide. And to hell if Adelaide was required to "rest"! One night with her friends and family - while being seated the whole time - would be good for her.

Molly was at first distressed to see Charlie had returned to Romania: she had been convinced that there was something between him and Adelaide. She had gone to Romania! And it had been painfully obvious - to her at least - that he was head over heels for her the summer of the World Cup. And when she was in the hospital that first time...

She looked at the clock that now had a hand for Fleur and she hoped would soon have one for Harry, Hermione and even Neil...but she had always held out hope for Adelaide to one day have her own hand on the Weasley clock. Adelaide Weasley. Or Adelaide Hayworth-Weasley, more likely. She'd always be a Hayworth...

But since the War, Molly had come to look at the world, 'family' differently. Family wasn't limited to those who were linked to you by blood. What was blood anyway? Did she want Charlie and Adelaide to be happy? Of course. And if that meant that they were happier as friends, Adelaide would still be like a daughter to Molly. The Hayworths, the Diggorys, the Lupins, Harry and Hermione, even Sirius, who she had had her disagreements with were all part of her family. And if she had a big enough clock, they'd all have their own hands.

She heard the door open and she stood to great her daughter-in-law and George. Fleur immediately began to flit around the kitchen as George shrugged, "Adelaide requested my salsa and guacomole." Molly let out a loud laugh as she wrapped an arm around her son, glad to be cooking for so many people again.

--

Adelaide glared at Sirius when he laughed as Cedric rolled her outside from the Floo. She knew she looked ridiculous, but the twins had been so excited and they were rather clever. But her wheelchair no longer looked like a real wheelchair. Instead, it had large, heavy-duty wheels. "How else will you roll around the fields?" Fred had asked.

She smiled when Tonks smacked the back of his head. "Laughing at the girl who saved you, are we?"

"That's right," Adelaide teased, "you got to walk right away, so don't you because laughing at me!"

After she was greeted by everyone, told how 'well' she was looking and suffered a few bruised ribs from Charlie and Jack and had mounds and mounds of food shoved in front of her, she beamed at Mrs. Weasley. "Mrs. Weasley, thank you. This really is wonderful. You've really outdone yourself."

Mrs. Weasley tried not to blush, "Please, dear. It's the least I could do."

Adelaide enjoyed herself more than she thought she would have: apparently her near-death and Sirius' resurrection had shown everyone how selfish they had become for those few weeks. Or maybe now everyone was stable and secure in their relationships and had found a working balance. But it didn't matter. Adelaide was having fun finally chatting with Sirius, listening to more tales of the Marauders and trying to "beat" the twins at their game of 'pranks we've done'. They were now on to ones that had gone unpunished.

"Yea, some Head Boy! He rarely ever caught us or gave us detention!" Fred laughed.

Cedric rolled his eyes, "Did you want me to, George?"

"Yea, some Head Boy you were, Diggory!" Fred teased.

"Oi! I was a bit busy what with classes and the Tournament and -" he stopped, blushing. He was about to say Adelaide.

Sirius, oblivious to the slight awkwardness laughed, "Well, no doubt you were better than James. Hell, half the time he was pulling pranks too! And the other half he was wooing Lily."

"More like attempting to," Remus said dryly from the table where he had been speaking with Charlie.

Sirius threw his head back as he laughed and Adelaide smiled, stealing a quick glance at Cedric. Seeing Sirius happy and so cheerful couldn't have made her happier. She had given the chance to live again.

--

Too soon everyone was leaving; promising to visit, Ginny begging her to go shopping, inviting her to dinners and drinks as soon as she was up to it. Jack hugged her hard again and told her sternly, "Don't you dare do something that stupid again. Do you hear me?"

She rolled her eyes and he nodded, "See you soon."

Charlie was next, "The boys want to see you again, when you're able - now that they know you're actually Adelaide Hayworth," he chuckled and hugged her tightly before kissing her forehead and pulling on her hair. "See ya, kid."

Only Cedric and her parents remained. Cedric smiled at her parents, "I'll bring her up, you two can go ahead. She hasn't been outside too much recently."

Sara and Raymond smiled, bid goodnight and hand-in-hand walked back up the hill to their house.

She let out a sigh and turned towards him, the bright moon lighting up his face, "Thanks," she said with a smile.

Cedric shrugged, "Figured you'd like to see the stars, be outside a bit longer." He gave her a small smile, "You cold?"

She shook her head and tilted her head back. "Cassiopeia."

Cedric chuckled, "That's an easy one, Adelaide!"

She looked him indignantly, "You can do better!"

He looked at the stars for a minute. "Perseus."

"Oi! No fair! I pointed out Cassiopeia and then you knew where to look!"

He laughed, "Just admit I'm better!"

--

They were lying on the grass, laughing and pointing at the stars, having long exhausted their knowledge of constellations and know making up their own, trying to get the other to laugh harder.

"Look, that one looks a bit like Pince -"

She let out a laugh and turned her face towards him, her cheek resting on the cool, damp grass, "You're mental." A breeze came and before she could stop herself, she shivered.

"We should get you inside, Adelaide. What kind of Healer would I be if I let you catch cold?"

She reached for his arm as he went to sit up, "No, Cedric, please, can we stay?"

He stared at her for a moment, her pale grey eyes the same color as the pale, silvery moon. How could he refuse her? He conjured a blanket and laid it over her, coaxing her to sit up and wrapping his arms around her.

She laid her head on his shoulder like she had always used to. "Thanks, Ceddie," she said softly, pulling the blanket up higher and covering up his legs.

Having her in his arms like this again just made his feelings for her grow. He never wanted this moment to end. He wanted everything to remain this simple. Adelaide, himself, the stars. No ruined past. No War. No fractured friendships. No complexities. Just them. All he wanted, all he needed was her. It had always been her and it would only ever be her.

His hand was rubbing her arm in a subconscious to keep her warm as a cold nervousness griped him, a cold fear and anxiety that he hadn't felt in years. Not even when he was facing a dragon, or saving Adelaide from the lake, or seeing Voldemort in the cemetery. He hadn't been scared then because he knew Adelaide was there, that she had faith in him. But now? He was 22 years old, had tied for the Cup, had fought in a War and Healed his share of "unsolvable" cases and he couldn't tell his best friend, his Adelaide, that he was unconditionally in love with her? For fear that she wouldn't return the feelings?

When he thought of what she would say if she knew this, he chuckled, causing Adelaide to sit up and stare into his eyes. "You okay?"

He opened his mouth, caught off guard, his hazel eyes glued to hers. Taking a deep breath, he shifted so he was facing her and took her hands in his. "Adelaide,' he said softly, his eyes still on hers as he took another breath, "I know things have been - well, right bizarre and dangerous, but I love you. I love you, Adelaide Hayworth. I always have and I always will. You're the only one I've ever wanted, the only one I've ever needed. You gave me the courage I needed when was younger and it was because of you, your faith in me, my need to prove to you that I was worth it, that I became a Healer, that I'm the best Healer I can be. It might have taken until 7th year for me to realize it and it may have taken nearly losing you for me to get my head out of my arse, but, Adelaide. I love you."

He continued to watch her face which had stayed virtually still the entire time he spoke. Dread began to fill him as she remained unmoving.

And then, suddenly, she let out a breath and her whole face lit up with a secret smile that made him feel like the only person in the world. She squeezed his hands. "I love you too, Cedric Diggory." It was short. It was simple. It was all he needed to hear before he was grinning too, cupping her face with his large, warm hands and pressing his lips lightly to hers.

And even with such a light, soft, quick kiss, he knew this was right. That this was what kissing the love your life was like. It was that simple.

--

A/N: IS THIS THE END?!?!? Fret not, more likely than not it isn't….but I don't know when I can update again. But I'm sure I will. When "real" "life" gets boring and what not….but I thought that was a nice end to a chapter, no?

And OMG, two chapters in that many days? Yeesh. What am I doing with my life?

Thoughts? Dislikes? Likes? Please review!! They would be much appreciated!!


	21. Start of a New Romance

A/N: So, I like these characters too much to stop writing about them, so this really should be a sequel, but I don't really feel like making a new story, might as well just tack it on……

_**Start of a New Romance**_

Cedric and Adelaide decided to keep their newly-reconciled relationship quiet at least until she had moved out of St. Ottery and back in with the twins. She smiled to herself as she ate her breakfast, her parents had long since gone to work: she had a hunch there would soon be a game of "musical flat mates".

She was reading a report Hermione had sent her: while she was proud and excited to read about everyone's progress and new ideas, she found that she didn't miss it as much as she thought she would. She rather liked not having to go into the Ministry everyday. But she was still rather restless. She stood up to put her dishes in the sink, her legs no longer as sore and weak as they had been when there was a knock on the door. She frowned: Cedric was not due for another few hours and she hadn't been expecting anyone else to pop round.

Her brows furrowed when she looked through the peephole before opening the door and screen door. "Adelaide Hayworth, I'm Coach Carter of the Pride of Portree."

She nodded, "I knew I recognized you," she looked slightly wary, "what can I do for you?"

He grinned, deep wrinkles forming around his eyes, "I was hoping I could run something by you about next season -"

"Coach, I don't want to disappoint you, but, I don't really know if I want to play professionally - I mean, I don't know if you heard, but -"

He waved a dismissive hand, "Everyone's heard, but you're expected to make a full recovery, yea? And there was no permanent muscular damage," his warm, friendly eyes twinkled, "please, just give me a few minutes. You won't have to give me a formal answer or sign anything. Just, listen?"

-8383-

Cedric whistled as he walked out the front door of his childhood home, having just had tea with his mother. He began to cross the yard and grinned when he saw Adelaide flying slowly - and safely - around her yard. She had just flown yesterday for the first time and he was pleased to see how casual and at ease she looked. The girl did love to fly. He waved when he got closer and she landed slowly and gently. "Hullo," he kissed her chastely as he wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her to the porch. "How did that feel?"

"Wonderful," she smiled and sat on one of the porch steps and pulling him down next to her so she could kiss him a bit more properly. "Coach Carter came to see me this morning," she blurted out.

He cocked an eyebrow, "And? Begging you to join the team?"

She frowned slightly, "Yea, actually. Said I could play next season - could take my time thinking about it while I'm still recovering. Even offered me Captain, if I wanted it," she hesitated as she took a small folded up slip of paper out of her pocket. "He was surprised that no other team has approached me yet for next season." She handed him the paper and watched as Cedric's eyes widened, his eyebrows nearly reaching his hairline and his mouth open in shock. "That's just the starting offer. He said it could be higher after negotiations."

"Bloody hell," he whispered, "that's more than Neil gets!"

She shrugged, "I'd almost feel bad taking that much."

Cedric watched her fold and unfold her hands a number of times before twiddling her thumbs nervously. "I don't know much about your finances, but since you're the Head of a Department, I'm assuming money isn't the real issue here," he watched her nod slightly and he bit back a smile, "what do you want to do?"

She took a deep breath, "I do love Quidditch. And I couldn't really play ten years from now," she didn't let him interrupt, "as well as I can now." She rolled her eyes but smiled when he took her hand in his, his thumb caressing her knuckles lightly. "And, I could always go back to the Ministry or start a new position or job after a year, or a few years of playing Quidditch."

He nodded, "I think you have enough O.W.L.S. and N.E.W.T.S. and other credentials to do whatever you wanted."

"Even Healing?" she teased, laughing when he groaned. "I could play for a season and then go from there. I could train and finish up some things at the Ministry before next season."

He kissed her temple, "Sounds brilliant."

"Are you going to be embarrassed to have a Quidditch-player for a girlfriend?" she poked his side playfully.

"Hm, so embarrassed. A highly regarded Healer with a dirty-playing jock girlfriend? What will everyone think? What would we ever talk about? What could we possibly have in common?" He laughed and tried to defend himself against her tickling attack.

-8383-

"All right, spill."

Adelaide looked up from her paper at Ginny who had just sat across from her at the café table. "Morning to you too, Gin."

She waved a hand, "Come on, come, on. You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool me," she cocked an eyebrow, "you've been much happier as of late."

Adelaide snorted in an effort to cover her shock at being virtually ambushed. "Well, Sirius is back, I'm alive and recuperating extremely well..."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Adelaide, come on. I've lived with all the Weasley boys my entire life, and grew up with you lot. Who do you think knew George was gay before even he admitted it to himself? Hermione and Fred? You and Charlie?" She smiled triumphantly when Adelaide's mouth flew open.

"You knew about that?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "And now you and Cedric are finally back together, aren't you?"

Adelaide let out a disbelieving laugh, "We didn't want to tell anyone until I moved back in with the twins."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "You want to keep living with them?"

Adelaide shrugged, "I don't mind living with them for a bit longer until Neil or Hermione want to move in or something."

Ginny laughed and told Adelaide how she had walked in on a living room snogfest between Hermione and Fred and how red Hermione had turned.

Adelaide actually didn't mind shopping with Ginny as much as she thought she would have and at Ginny's clever manipulation and insistence, she bought a few new things, including two dresses and new underwear. Adelaide had been most embarrassed at the notion that she should buy new "exciting" underwear and Ginny laughed. "It doesn't have to be frilly or silly or have bows, but you can wear these under your new clothes." She shoved her into the dressing room. "Just try them on. Trust me."

And even though she would never admit it, she did like them and felt strangely excited about the idea of Cedric seeing her in them.

That of course, was a whole other issue. She loved Cedric and wanted to sleep with him: she had in fact, wanted to sleep with him when they dated in 7th year, but how was she going to bring up Charlie? Would he be furious? Would he believe her when she'd say that it really meant nothing, that even kissing Charlie had become more routine than passion-filled? When should she tell him? Randomly one day before she left St. Ottery? Right before they sleep together? And how many women had he slept with?

She tried to push these thoughts out of her mind when she and Ginny left the Muggle shop and made their way back to Diagon. It had been gnawing at the back of her mind for a while and she was embarrassed that she always chickened out. She was bloody Adelaide Hayworth! She had bloody stood up to Voldemort! Had bloody rescued Sirius! She had no excuse to be afraid of Cedric's potential anger.

She said goodbye to Ginny, promising her that she would talk to Cedric about coming clean to everyone at the family luncheon the next day. She walked the short distance to Cedric and Neil's flat, knowing that Cedric would be napping and hoping that Neil was out with George somewhere. She grinned when a shirtless, groggy and disheveled Cedric opened the door. "Hiya," she kissed him slowly, one hand on his bare chest, the other, still holding her bags before she pulled back, her eyes enjoying the view of his chest. One good thing had come from their time apart: as if it had been even possible, he had become more muscular and more gorgeous.

He ran a hand through his hair and waved her in, yawning. She looked around, satisfied that Neil was nowhere in sight and went to make tea as Cedric sat at the table, yawning again. "How was shopping?" he mumbled and she heard him rifling through a few bags.

When she turned to hand him his tea he was staring into one of her bags and she bit back a laugh when he looked back up at her, his hazel eyes twinkling as he winked. "Now I'm awake."

"Ginny knew we were back together. Thinks we should tell everyone tomorrow."

He shrugged, "I'll tell everyone now if it means I get to see you in those sooner." He laughed when she hit his arm.

"But I don't want to tell anyone about Portree yet. I want to wait a bit longer. And I'll need to tell Kingsley before I tell anyone else."

Cedric nodded, "How was shopping? Are you tired? Did Ginny overexert you?"

"No, Healer Diggory, I'm fine. I'm ready to move back in with the twins and go back to work."

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes, you've told me that a number of times."

"Well, if you'd listen..."

"Do you want food? I'm starved."

She bit her lip, "What about -"

"Neil's out with the team and then he and George are going out to dinner."

She nodded, still biting her lip; he was about to ask her what was wrong when she said softly, "Cedric, I slept with Charlie."

She held her breath, waiting for his reaction - any reaction really, an outburst of any kind. When Cedric realized she wasn't going to elaborate right away, he reached out and gently lifted her chin so she would look at him. "Addie," he said softly, "I slept with Tracey."

"Who?"

"She was in Healer training with me. Right before Christmas and everyone was so worried and scared and well, I didn't want to die without -"

Adelaide squeezed his hand, "Neither did I. But Cedric, it meant nothing - Charlie and I grew apart, we only really worked as friends and -" he put his hand over her mouth, much like they had done as kids.

He smiled at her, "You don't need to explain yourself, Addie. I rather thought that you and Charlie would have snogged at least since you were out in Romania and since it was rather obvious he fancied you the summer of the World Cup."

He took his hand away from her mouth but she was still frowning slightly, "You're not mad?"

He brushed her blonde hair away from her face, "Course not. Are you mad at me?"

She shook her head and pressed her lips to his but broke the kiss before he could deepen it. "What Department does Tracey work in? Would I know her?"

Cedric sat back in his chair, "She died. Muggleborn. Refused to go into hiding and -"

Adelaide put a hand on his arm, "I'm sorry."

He nodded and took a sip of his tea. "Help me cook?"

She smiled and took his proffered hand to stand, "Of course."

-8383-

Cedric tried to not start laughing at her again as they ate, but her outburst that Potions was far easier than making Bolognese sauce had been too funny and he couldn't help himself. He bit his lip to prevent laughing at her a third time when she said haughtily, "When did you become such an expert chef anyway?"

"Well, when you're stuck in a house with Mrs. Weasley and Sirius Black it's bound to come up. Especially when she would sometimes cook for loads of people."

She was glad to see he wasn't depressed or bitter and her sudden guilt ebbed. "So I should expect to see you bustling around the kitchen with pots and pans all whilst wearing an apron?"

"Only an apron if you're lucky," he winked taking another forkful of the pasta.

"Well, if you cook everything this well, I promise not to complain," she chewed thoughtfully, "or interfere."

Cedric laughed, "You can't be good at everything, love."

She looked up, an eyebrow cocked, her pale, grey eyes meeting his noticeably darker hazel ones when she felt his hand resting lightly on her thigh. "Want to try on your new purchases?" His thumb moved slowly and deliberately.

She attempted a smirk to hide her quickening heartbeat: this was definitely a new side to Cedric Diggory. "Look at you, Diggory! New pick up lines since Hogwarts?"

He smiled, his other hand coming up to brush her hair away from her shoulder, grazing her collarbone. Her skin was on fire where he touched her, even through her clothes. Her eyes darted quickly to his chest again. "Adelaide, it's taken more will power than I even knew I possessed to not pin you against any surface and have may bloody way with you," his voice was soft and rough and Adelaide couldn't help the shiver that ran through her. He was the same Cedric, but he was definitely more confident. And more direct.

Her voice was raspy, "My parents, Cedric," his hand was inching up her thigh, his other hand traveling lightly up and down her arm and his face was so close to hers, his eyes dark and beautiful. "They'll worry."

"Floo them," he whispered, his lips slowly closing the distance between them, "tell them you decided to stay with Ginny and Hermione."

"Couldn't lie."

He looked into her eyes, "Adelaide, I've wanted this for so long -"

"I have to, Cedric."

The corner of his lips curved up, but before he could say something else to convince her to lie to her parents, to stay, she closed the distance between them. Her hands roaming over his chest, kissing him with all the passion, need and love she was feeling. This was what kissing was supposed to be like. This was what real passion, real love, felt like.

She pulled back slightly what felt like hours later, her eyes still closed as he kissed her jaw, his hands still flitting over her thighs and her waist. "Still want me to put those new purchases on?" she teased.

He chuckled against her jaw as he stood, pulled her up with him, "Would be such a waste, love. I'll take a rain check."

-8383-

She kissed his shoulder lazily, "I need to go back home before they worry, Cedric."

He frowned and tried to pull her closer to him, "It was bloody easier to sneak around at Hogwarts," he pouted.

She laughed, "That's because you were Head Boy -" There was a loud knock on the door and they both froze.

"Cedric, you awake? Can George and I have the leftover food? Missed our reservations."

"Uh, yea, go for it, I'm going to bed."

"Night," they waited for Neil's footsteps to disappear when Adelaide leapt out of Cedric's bed in search of her clothes as he put up a silencing spell. They looked at each other and nearly burst out laughing.

"Want me to Apparate with you? I don't want you to feel like some sort of harlot," he kissed her forehead.

She shook her head smiling, "We're telling everyone tomorrow."

He grinned and kissed her soundly, still grinning when he pulled away, "And then we can have actual sleepovers."

-8383-

Sara was mildly surprised to find Cedric at the door the next morning with a wide smile on his face. "Why, Cedric, what are you doing up so early on your day off?" She kissed his cheek as she welcomed him inside.

He held up a Muggle grocery bad, "Pasties and pie for the luncheon. Sooner or later Adelaide is going to need to know how to cook."

Sara smirked as she led Cedric into the kitchen where her husband was reading the morning paper. "Why, Cedric! Up so early on a Saturday?"

"Going to get Adelaide to cook."

Ray nearly chocked on his toast, "Bloody hell. Maybe this morning is as good as anyone to fix the car."

Cedric grinned, "Neil requested that I help. He conveniently had an unexpected practice this morning," he set the bag down and almost immediately began to grab the pots and pans he would need out of the cabinets. "Figured she wouldn't dare yell at her Healer."

Sara watched Cedric move expertly around the kitchen, "Molly taught you well. It would be nice to have someone help out around the kitchen," she sighed dramatically.

Ray looked indignant, "I made a wonderful roast just last week!"

"A pre-made roast."

"You've never complained about your eggs or your sandwiches," he pointed out.

Sara leaned against the counter next to Cedric, "You're my witness, Diggory, next time this one wants a sandwich."

Cedric watched her laugh and ruffle her husband's hair as she went to call down Adelaide. Cedric smiled to himself. That's what he wanted. What his parents had. What Mr. and Mrs. Hayworth had. What Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had. What Professor Lupin and Tonks had. What Bill and Fleur had. Love. Fun. Care. Understanding. Commitment. Support. Each other.

He shook himself out of his reverie when Sara came back, "She'll make her way down slowly. Didn't tell her you or your culinary skills were here. So, dear," she nodded at Ray, "we might want to leave before she comes down."

Ray shot Cedric an apologetic look as his coffee mug floated towards the sink, "Good luck, m'boy."

-8383-

Sara came by the kitchen some time later to make sure Adelaide had gotten up and that she wasn't murdering Cedric, but she stopped herself before she crossed the threshold and opened her mouth. There was Adelaide, in a pair of Jack's left-behind flannel pajama pants and a large Ballycastle shirt, her cheek resting against Cedric's arm, his fingers playing with her damp hair. Sara stood there a moment, watching the pair. He mumbled something and she let out a laugh, nudging him with her hip before turning her attention back to the cooking. Cedric wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side, kissing her temple.

With a smile and a shake of her head, Sara slowly and quietly walked away from the kitchen, pleased to see her daughter happy.

-8383-

Adelaide went back to her room to change quickly while Cedric had a cup of tea and perused the Daily Prophet. He smiled and nodded as Ray came in to make, himself a cup of tea. "So, Cedric, how's the hospital?"

Cedric shrugged, "Busy. I've had a lot of odd and interesting cases lately."

"Yes, your father had mentioned they were transferring some patients just so they could have you as their Healer." He watched the young man rub the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "You're making quiet the name for yourself in the field, eh?"

Cedric cleared his throat, "I'm just doing my best to help everyone I can, Mr. Hayworth."

Ray smiled and nodded, "You always were very modest. And how are things with Neil? I assume you and Adelaide are friends again? Good, good. Are you seeing anyone? Are you enjoying life outside of work?"

Cedric very nearly chocked on his tea. While he had never previously been intimidated by the Hayworth patriarch, he had always respected him. But now, he was terribly confused: did he know? Was he angry? He didn't seem angry, but then again, Adelaide was his only daughter...

Ray smiled as he watched the gears in Cedric's head turn and his mouth open to silence. "Relax, son. Sara saw that you two seemed to be on better terms and we respect your decision to keep things quiet."

Cedric was relieved at the man's easy manner: he would have hated lying to him. "We were actually going to tell everyone at lunch."

Ray continued to smile and stood from the table, "No, I'm not going to threaten or lecture you or try to intimidate you, Cedric. Adelaide doesn't need much help there. I'm sure she'll take care of herself if anything ever happened."

Cedric was going to thank him - or agree with, but Sara walked into the kitchen, "Adelaide's almost ready, Cedric. We'll meet you there?"

He nodded and watched them leave. He really was lucky her parents were so trusting and confident in their daughter. The last thing he needed was to be scared of her father.

With a relieved chuckle, he headed up to Adelaide's room: he was anxious to tell everyone else that they were finally happy again. He knocked on the door once before opening the door.

She turned, tugging her cardigan on, "I was just coming downstairs," she smiled, "I know you hate to be late, but -"

He shook his head and pulled her to him, his strong arms wrapping around her, his chin resting on the top of her head. Even at Hogwarts she had never practically melted in his arms like this, with just a hug. A warm, safe, all-encompassing hug, but a hug nonetheless. But now she didn't care how cliche and girly she sounded or felt. For being only 22 years old, they had already gone through enough. She was ready to be happy.

"I'm just anxious for everyone to see how happy I am, love."

He felt her shift slightly and he moved his chin from her head to look at her. "What is it?"

"Give me five minutes?" She slowly moved herself from his arms, "I just want to use the Floo -" she shot him a reassuring smile, "don't worry. Five minutes, I promise."

He looked around the childhood room she had shared with her brothers: not much had changed. There were still three beds although they were a bit bigger now. There were still some of the books they had read as children - both Muggle and Magical. He sat on her bed and reached for one of his favorite books. He and Adelaide used to pour over it for hours, looking at the pictures of exotic places, beautiful mountains, terrifying volcanoes and remote deserts. They would point to different locations, declaring they would travel their first, as soon as they graduated.

He smiled sadly to himself as he flipped through the pages. He hadn't seen this book in years and yet he thought of it often. He closed it with a snap as he remembered what he had planned on doing what felt like centuries before...

He had wanted to travel to some of these places when he graduated, like he and Adelaide had always said. But he wanted to go with her. If he won or lost, he wanted to get away for a while. Travel. Explore the world. Himself. But he wanted to go with Adelaide. To get away. He didn't know if she'd say yes, but he had to try. He needed to get away from everything, away from the chaos, the responsibilities.

He had planned on asking her after the Final Task. Win or lose. But of course, that never happened.

He put the book back on the shelf. Now he had a life. And so did she. They had responsibilities. They had a Wizarding community that still needed to be repaired.

But what he wouldn't give to see safari in Africa! The Pyramids! The Great Barrier Reef! The North Pole! The Amazon!

She called him from the bottom of the steps and with a heavy sigh he pushed himself off her bed. Now was not the time to think of what could be but rather to live in present. His new, happy, Dark-Magic-less.

-8383-

Adelaide had not been to Grimmauld Place since Sirius had been back and so she was not expecting such tremendous changes in such a short period of time. There were bright lights and freshly-painted walls; gone were the dark and dreary curtains and carpets and replaced with light and airy drapery and hardwood floors. The screaming portrait of Mrs. Black was gone and replaced with a number of pictures. Adelaide paused for a moment to look at them, her hand intertwined with Cedric's as the chatter of happy voices came from the kitchen and dining room. The Marauder's at Hogwarts. The Marauders and Lily at graduation. The Potters. The Lupins. The original Order. The Golden Trio. Harry, Sirius and Remus. And one picture of a young man who could have only been Sirius' brother.

She smiled as Sirius came to stand next to them, a smug smile on his face as he noticed their hands. "And plenty of room for more." She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before he shook Cedric's hand. "And how've you been?"

She smirked at him as she led Cedric to the kitchen, "Fine, thanks."

Cedric nearly ran into her when she stopped abruptly at the threshold of the kitchen. Her fingers gripped his more tightly as she stood there frozen, her eyes darting across the crowded room where Mrs. Weasley, Fleur and Mrs. Diggory were setting up the food. Cedric ran his thumb over the back of her hand and was about to whisper to her when Mrs. Weasley spotted them.

"Oh, Cedric, darling, did you bring the -" her eyes fell on their hands and she looked back up between the two.

Adelaide swallowed and then everyone's attention was on them. Although it didn't help that Sirius stood behind them waving his arms.

Cedric grinned as he handed the dish to a smirking Ginny. He nudged Adelaide slightly and delicately releasing her hand put his arm around her. "We, uh, wanted to wait to tell you lot, but Adelaide and I have put everything behind us and we've gotten back together."

There was a second of silence before laughter, applause, cheers, cries of relief and a chorus of "I knew it!" and "About bloody time!"

Cedric turned to Adelaide, relieved to see she was smiling. And breathing. Once everyone quieted down a bit, Adelaide confidently cleared her throat. "I've, um, had an offer from Portree."

Someone snorted and Fred called out, "Who haven't you had an offer from?"

She rolled her eyes, "A formal one? No one recently," she huffed before composing herself. "Anyway, Coach Carter met with me, and, well, I'll be Chaser and Captain for Portree next season."

Everyone was silent for a moment before she was nearly suffocated with an onslaught of hugs, kisses and congratulatory slaps on the back.

"We're still going to kick your bloody arse, Hayworth."

"We'll be attending nearly every Quidditch match, Forge!"

"I'll never be wanting for more Quidditch, that's for sure, eh Moony?" Sirius lifted Teddy on to his shoulders, "You'll be every team's mascot, won't you, you little bugger?"

Once everyone quieted down some and began to pick at the finger foods and appetizers the twins and Hermione had provided, Remus asked about her position at the Department of Mysteries.

She tried to hide her grin as she winked at Percy would had been debriefed immediately after she had gotten off the Floo with Kingsley. "Well, I'll continue to work at the Ministry a bit, but I'll start training soon enough. And for now, I think I'm done experimenting and what not. The Department is better, safer and more innovative than it was, but my job of seeing it through this transition is done," she turned to Hermione. "You've been doing a fantastic job managing it, Hermione. I spoke with Kingsley today and if you want it, you can be the permanent Head." She watched the younger girl's face. "You aren't obligated, of course, but Kingsley said he'd be more than willing to allow you to work in multiple departments if that's what you wanted."

Hermione bit her lip, her brows furrowed in concentration, "You really want to leave? I mean, like you said, you created this new fantastic department -"

"And I think it needs to grow without me."

Hermione nodded, "Course, course. I'll have to think about it - chat with Kingsley..." she took a long sip of her tea, but Tonks cut in.

"So, Quidditch?"

She shrugged, "I miss it. And I figure I can't exactly play ten or so years from now, you know? And when the time comes, I can go back to the Ministry or maybe be a Potions Master or something..."

She found Cedric again sometime later and leaned against his side as he wrapped an arm around her. He was always just so extremely comfortable. "Everyone's been really supportive."

He chuckled and offered her a pint which she declined. "They're family. Of course they'd be supportive."

Neil came up and clapped them both on the shoulder, "Thank Dumbledore you two are back together. We were all sick of Mopey Cedric and Boring Adelaide."

"Oi!"

Cedric shook his head and pulled Adelaide a bit tighter against him, "You better walk away, Neil before she pries herself away from me and beats you to a bloody pulp."

Neil winked and hurried off to find his boyfriend who was whispering with his twin. Adelaide looked up at Cedric and was about to yell at him for preventing her from taking care of her brother when Mrs. Weasley requested that everyone sit to eat their lunch.

-8383-

She had never stopped to think about what a strong heartbeat meant. Life. And never had a heartbeat sounded so truly wonderful. She smiled slightly as she pressed her ear against his chest again. Such a simple rhythm that yet meant so much. To think that for a moment, before she had altered the space-time continuum, he hadn't had this beautiful, melodic beat.

She traced a heart over his chest with her finger, relieved, yet again, that she was here, with him, and his steady heartbeat.

"That's not anatomically correct, you know."

She craned her neck slightly to look at him, "I didn't mean to wake you."

He had yet to open his eyes as his thumb traced circles on her bare arm. "Admiring my chiseled chest, are you?"

She let out an airy chuckle, "Admiring your heartbeat."

"It's a lovely heartbeat, isn't it?"

She shifted slightly against him, pressing her hand against his heart, pressing her face against his chest. He felt something wet on his chest and wordlessly he put his hand over hers. There was nothing he could say. If she needed to cry, to feel his steady, strong heartbeat, he'd let her. She didn't want thanks, she didn't want reassurance.

"It's a beautiful heartbeat," she whispered moments later. He tilted her head up and kissed her slowly. He kissed away her tears and her fears. When they took a breath, when their eyes met, when she shared a small smile with him, he knew she accepted his gratitude. If she wanted to listen to his heartbeat every night, just to quell her fears, he'd let her.

-8383-

It took the Daily Prophet only two days after Adelaide moved back in with the twins to realize she and Cedric were very much a couple again. But it was also the first time either of them really didn't mind being in the paper.

Childhood Best friends, Hogwarts Sweethearts, Torn Apart by War and Secret Societies, How Near-Death Brought this Healer and Patient Back Together

Can the much-loved, respected and famous couple survive their past?

St. Mungo's Most Famous Healer no longer an eligible bachelor

Ministry's Youngest Head Fraternizing with her Healer

-8383-

Adelaide was in her office going through her notes on the Wolfsbane for what felt like the fifth time, trying to find something she was missing when there was a knock and loud cough. She looked up, her brows still furrowed in concentration until she noticed it was Sirius. "Oh! I'm sorry, come in, come in! What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, his smile not entirely reaching his eyes, "Wanted to see what you've done with the place, since -" he trailed off and cleared his throat. "Looks fantastic, by the way. Not nearly as menacing as it used to."

"Thanks, Sirius. Did you want to sit, or?"

He sat, "What are you working on?"

"Oh, I -" she faltered, "nothing. I mean, something, but I -" she frowned, "bollocks."

He held out his hand, a smirk on his face, "I'll keep my mouth shut, I -" he sucked in a breath. "Brilliant!"

She frowned, "No. Not brilliant. I'm stuck."

He looked at her, his piercing blue-grey eye filled with so many emotions that she couldn't help but feel as though she were letting him down. "You can do it. Bloody hell, I was never one for Potions, but," he paused, "money? Is that what you need? For more resources? I can give you funding - this Department, that is."

Her mouth fell open, "Oh, no, I - I wish it was simply only a matter of funding. I'm just stuck. There's just something that's missing."

He handed her papers back, "You'll figure it out, Hayworth. I believe in you." He stood up, "Love to stay and chat, but I have a very important meeting with the Minister." He winked and walked out of her office, leaving her more determined than ever to solve this new puzzle.

-8383-

Cedric leaned against the doorframe of her bedroom, clearing his throat to get her attention. She nearly leapt out of bed in surprise, "Sorry! Sorry, I know, I know, I'm just so close and I just really want to finish this!"

"Did you show it to Hermione?"

She sighed, "I did yea. She's just as stumped," she ran a hand over her face, "I know, I'm becoming obsessive, but I promise I'm not losing my mind!"

He wrapped his arms around her, brushing her hair away from her face. "How about we get something to eat, some tea and then we can both look over it. Fresh eyes, fresh minds."

She squeezed him, "Thank you."

He rolled his eyes at the huge grin that was lighting up her face, trying to hide his satisfaction that he made her that happy. "Come on, I know the twins will have left something for us to eat."

-8383-

Her eyes darted between Cedric and the parchment. "Merlin, that's it. That's it!" He watched, confused and amused as she began to scribble furiously. "It was that simple! Merlin! Cedric, we did it!" Before he could fully grasp what exactly was going on, she had grabbed his face and was kissing him soundly. He reacted immediately to that, of course. He molded his lips to hers, letting her have control as he just enjoyed the moment. One thing was certain: kissing Adelaide never got boring.

He was not expecting her to be frowning when he eventually opened his eyes. "I'll have to test it, won't I?"

Cedric thought for a moment. "If you can make it, I think I can get a willing test subject."

-8383-

It hadn't taken much convincing to get Philip, an elderly werewolf who had no remaining family, to be the first test subject. It had nearly broken Adelaide's heart when Philip had smiled and said, "Anything I can do to help my fellow afflicted brothers. And the chance to meet the one and only Adelaide Hayworth!"

She and Cedric had stayed with him for the entire full moon, documenting everything. And once they had thanked Philip and helped him back to his bed at St. Mungo's to rest, they found an empty room to celebrate.

Kingsley and Percy read their copious notes. "It really worked?"

Adelaide and Cedric were grinning, "It did."

Kingsley nodded, "Make a few more for next month to test. And if those go well -"

"We can mass produce?" Adelaide sounded so hopeful it nearly pained Kingsley to tell her: "We don't have the funds."

Adelaide smiled a Weasley twin-worthy smile, "I think I know where we can get some."

She barely had to open her mouth to explain everything to Sirius before he nearly dragged her and Cedric through the Floo, back to the Ministry, past the secretary and straight into Kingsley's office. "Whatever it takes to make enough for any werewolf who wants it," Sirius grinned, "as long as it's named after these two," he jerked this thumb at Adelaide and Cedric, "and Lupin."

She had just settled herself back at her desk, her excitement slowly ebbing as she began to sift through various memos, timesheets and other things she needed to sign off on when she was suddenly and unexpectedly pulled from her chair and into a rib-crushing hug. "Merlin, thank you."

She held her head as he set her down, her feet firmly on the ground and looked up into the large, glassy and emotion-filled amber eyes of her former professor. "It really worked?" His voice was thick and hopeful.

"Philip didn't go through any transformations, no side effects. You and a few others can test it next month."

"And Sirius is going to fund it? Provide it for all werewolves."

She nodded, "Going to start a foundation I believe. Maybe one day it'll be global." She watched as he tried to keep his emotions in check: Remus was never one to give much away with his facial expressions. "You'll still have your heightened senses and you'll still be the same person, but you won't have to go through the transformation at all. No werewolf will have to if they don't want to."

"Thank you," he whispered, "thank you. Merlin, everything you've done for us - for me and Tonks and Teddy," his eyes nearly bore into her as she sat back down at her desk, "I know you saved our lives - prevented another orphan. And you saved Sirius - and Merlin, now you're giving me more time with my son! And new chances for all werewolves." He laughed and ran a hand through his hair, his normally poised exterior breaking for a moment and despite the fact that only last night was the full moon, he looked younger and more youthful than she had ever seen him. "Merlin, thank you."

She was grinning, "Well, I always was good at Potions."

He laughed again, "If you don't get a First Order of Merlin soon, I'm going to have to give the Minister a piece of my mind."

Adelaide visibly paled, "No! No! That's the last thing I need!"

-8383-

Adelaide had hoped that things on their new potion would remain under wraps at least until after the next test, but knowing Sirius, she should have known better. Not two days later he made an announcement in the Daily Prophet:

Yes, I've started the Lupin-Black Foundation after I got word that my personal savior, Ms. Adelaide Hayworth, with some help from Healer Cedric Diggory, have successfully altered the Wolfsbane potion. Yes, yes, there are going to be a few more tests next full moon for legal purposes, but the Diggory-Hayworth Wolfsbane eliminates the werewolf transformation entirely. So my foundation, which I've just started, in honor of my dear friend Mr. Remus Lupin, will provide the new Wolfsbane to any werewolf who wants it. And as soon as we can get volunteers, donations, employees, what have you, we'll go global. Mr. Lupin, Mr. Harry Potter and myself are on the board currently and I dare say Ms. Hayworth, Mr. Diggory and Ms. Granger will join our ranks soon.

"Leave it to Sirius Black to name it," she groaned.

Adelaide received so many owls and surprise callers, including a weepy Mrs. Weasley and a jubliant Bill, that she barely had time to even begin writing her formal reports for the potion. She had to write reports to be filed, reports for a Potion Patent and a report to be published in the newest Potions Encyclopedia.

She frowned as she began to pack up her things: she would have liked to name it after Professor Snape. He was the one who had brewed Remus' Wolfsbane and he had been the one who taught her everything she knew about Potions -

"He'd be proud, you know." She looked up startled out of her thoughts and nearly shot out of her chair when she saw who the speaker was. "We've never been formally introduced," he fidgeted slightly and walked hesitantly into her office, holding out his hand. "Draco Malfoy."

She smiled and shook his hand, "Adelaide Hayworth. Please, sit."

"Professor Snape would be proud - not that you're helping werewolves necessarily, but that you're creating and modifying potions."

"How do you -"

He sat down, "Ah, yes, excuse me, I knew you were a favorite student of his - the only non-Slytherin, I believe." He paused, "He, well, he protected me too. He didn't want me to be like the rest of my family, he well, he believed in me, I suppose." He frowned, "Anyway, I - I want to help."

"Sorry - help with what?"

"Help with the foundation - I know you're not on the board yet or anything, but I don't think Cousin Sirius would be too pleased if I asked him."

Adelaide smiled coyly, "Is this your penance? Doling out Wolfsbane to werewolves?" Her smile, however, faded when Draco's piercing blue-grey eyes met hers: they were so very similar to Sirius'.

"I saw what Greyback did to people - children. I want to help those people who fear themselves. I got a second chance, didn't I? Thanks to you and Potter and Granger. These people deserve a second chance to." He placed a piece of paper on to her desk. "I don't think Cousin Sirius would accept this from me. And I'd rather not he or anyone else know until I'm out of the country giving it to people."

Her mouth opened in shock when she saw the amount of money he was donating. "Draco, this is far too much -"

He smiled, "Nothing is too much when I know sweet old dad is rolling around in his grave." He stood up, "I'd prefer to give the potion out the first time and then I'd be more than willing to help brew." He nodded and walked towards the door. "Thanks," he said sincerely before walking briskly out of her office.

She leaned back in her chair, staring at the check. Merlin, what a day.

-8383-

A/N: We were at over 7,000 words, so I figured it was a good place to stop….

Please review! Hopefully more soon, I promise!


	22. Start of a New Romance: Part II

A/N: This begins and ends in random places because these chapters are becoming so long…..

Please review!

_**Start of a New Romance**_

_**Part Deux**_

She hadn't realized how much she longed for and missed physical contact until she woke up from a ridiculous nightmare in her own bed alone. She had gotten very used to falling asleep curled up next to Cedric and waking up with their limbs entangled. She had gotten used to holding his hand, his arm around her, his casual, easy and frequent touches and caresses when they were out for drinks, or eating or visiting each other for work that she wondered how she had survived for so long without them.

She rolled on to her back, moonlight peeking through her drapes as she pulled her blankets around her. And it was cold without Cedric. She covered her eyes with her hand. Merlin, she was turning into such a sap.

Her eyes were only closed for a second before images of her nightmare flashed behind her eyelids: Fred dead. Cedric dead, his eyes open but turned to stone. Remus and Tonks dead. And everyone blamed her.

She opened her eyes and frowned wishing more than ever for Cedric's very-much-alive heartbeat to soothe her back to sleep.

-8383-

Cedric groaned as he waved his hand to turn off his bloody alarm. He hated having an early-morning shift and he seriously regretted agreeing to one. Rubbing his eyes he rolled over and frowned when he remembered Adelaide wasn't there. She was in her own bed. Still. Sleeping.

Running a tired hand through his hair, he sat up, showering quickly, forgoing a shave and dressing in more casual Muggle clothes. It was 4 am for Merlin's sake! He grabbed a coffee at the hospital, stopping at the nurse's station to collect any folders for any unusual, new patients.

He was rifling through some folders, leaning against the desk of the deserted station when a short, middle-aged woman leaned her back against the desk next to him. He grinned, taking a sip of his coffee without bothering to look up at her, "Morning, Chief."

"At ease, soldier," she said, quirking a perfectly-shaped black eyebrow at him. "Busy?"

He shot her his award-winning smile, "Never too busy for you, Chief."

Her face remained stone and she may have looked intimidating (despite her petite stature) if it hadn't been so obvious that her almond-shaped dark brown eyes were twinkling. She thrust a thick folder into his hands. "Walk with me."

Chief Healer Maura Lang was only recently promoted and despite her relatively young age, her short stature, her gender and her determination to put her family before her career, she had already gained nearly everyone's respect.

"You are aware that Healers are supposed to be in a Department."

"I'm in Emergencies."

"And you're happy there?" She stopped walking, hands on her hips with a smirk, "Precisely."

"Chief, I'm not complaining -"

"I never said you were." She continued walking down the hall, not bothering to wait for Cedric as her heels echoed loudly in the empty hall. "You're vampire patient has caught the attention of the Board and other hospitals on the continent. The Trustees are obviously worried about losing such talent and prestige," he could hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice, "and I was told to do anything I could to keep you at our hospital. Of course, after they reviewed a few of your other case files they were very impressed. And once they realized who you were, of course. Your diagnostic skills and knowledge of nearly all maladies and remedies across the board and your creative solutions are being put to waste in the Emergencies Department. Now, we can not give you any full-time staff, but you can choose Mediwitches, Junior Healers, whatever to work part-time in your Department."

"Sorry, um, did - did you say my Department?"

"You were paying attention - splendid. Yes. Your Diagnostic Department. For now you can consult on other patients in other departments as you see fit until you begin to get more patients."

Cedric let out a laugh as he ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up in places that on anyone else would look just made him look endearing. "How many patients do you think I'm going to get, I mean certainly there aren't that many -"

She arched an eyebrow, "You'd be surprised, Healer Diggory. As the premier Wizarding Diagnostic Healer, hospitals from around the globe will send patients to you." They had stopped and Cedric turned to look where they were. Turning to the door, his eyes widened at seeing his name and Chief Healer: Diagnostic Department. "Yes, this is your new office. We couldn't have our best, new Healer, stuck in a lowly, tiny office, could we?" She turned to leave, "And we don't need you here this earlier, Diggory. See you at two for the staff meeting."

And with a friendly wink, she walked down the hall, leaving Cedric to open the door to his massive office. And it was not even 6 am.

-8383-

Cedric stumbled out of the Floo in his excitement and nearly ran into Fred who was trying to reach the couch. "Merlin, what are you doing here this early?"

Cedric dusted himself off, "Where's Adelaide?"

Fred sat gingerly on the couch, holding his head, "You're a Healer right? Do you have any Hangover or Migraine or Dear-Merlin-the-sun-is-bright Potion?"

Cedric laughed and Accio-ed for a Hangover Potion he knew was stockpiled in the kitchen. "Rough, night?"

"How was I supposed to know Ron could suddenly hold his liquor so well?"

"What was last night?" He handed him the vial.

Fred swallowed and stared incredulously at Cedric, "Wednesday!"

Cedric rolled his eyes, "Ron came round the shop, everyone else was busy with Quidditch or some other nonsense, he had a long day of training and well, we had a competition going, didn't we?"

"Well, tonight we're all going out for drinks - let everyone know, will you?"

Fred groaned, "Why? And why do I have to do it?"

"I've been promoted," he grinned, "now, if you'll excuse me," he winked and walked out of the room.

He opened her door quietly and grinned when he saw her sprawled out across her bed. Thankfully she didn't seem to always sleep like that. Slipping off his shoes he climbed into bed, nudging her limbs so he'd have some room. He chuckled when she opened one eye and smiling, tiredly, "What are you doing here?"

"Expecting someone else?"

She shoved him slightly before wrapping an arm around him, her chin resting on his chest. He put an arm behind his head and smiled as she rolled her eyes, not bothering to retort. "Didn't mean to wake you."

She shrugged before eyeing him suspiciously, "Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"Well," he grew very excited, "that's why I'm here."

His grin was contagious, "Well? Tell me!"

"I've been promoted!"

She sat up quickly, her pale eyes big and her smile huge as she hugged him tightly, "Cedric! That's great!"

He spoke quickly in his excitement, "They basically created a Department just for me - Diagnostics - and said I could have a few part-time people until I get more patients and I could consult on whatever other cases I want. And I got a new, huge office and I'm the youngest Head of a Department. And the Board were worried that I would leave and go somewhere else, so they increased my pay too."

"Ceddie! This is fantastic!" She swatted at his arm, "Some big-time Healer! And to have the Board and all these other hospitals recognize and value your talent!" She cupped his face gently with her hands, "Love, this is amazing. I'm so proud of you." She kissed his lips softly before staring into his bright, hazel eyes, her thumb caressing his cheek slowly. "They created a Department for you."

He grinned wider, his hands covering hers, "I know! Merlin, I thought Chief was going to yell at me or something, but," he chuckled, "and I can pick my hours now too. No early mornings if I don't want them -"

She sat back, looking slightly affronted, "Unless your patients, need them of course."

He shook his head, "Of course." He pulled her up, "Come on, I'm hungry and I need to tell mum and dad and get back eventually and you have that press conference."

She groaned, "For people who are sick of being in the papers, we really do a shit job of staying out of them, don't we?"

He laughed and kissed the top of her head, "Drinks tonight to celebrate my promotion. Enjoy your press conference," he winked and walked out of her room, extremely chipper for so early in the morning.

-8383-

"As manager of the Pride of Portree I'm very pleased to announce that after playing for us to nearly a decade, Gordon Wallace will be retiring at the end of the winter season. But, Coach Carter and I are very pleased to announce that this morning we are officially signing Ms. Adelaide Hayworth to our team."

Adelaide walked out from where she had essentially been hiding in the locker room to the sounds of multiple cameras, whistles, applause and dozens of questions. Smiling and trying not to roll her eyes, she shook Foster Widmore's hand, Coach Carter and the man she would be replacing, Gordon Wallace, before Mr. Widmore handed her her official Portree jersey. Turning to the reporters, she grinned.

"Thanks very much, everyone. I'd like to thank Mr. Widmore and Coach Carter and congratulate Gordon Wallace on eight fantastic years and on beginning a new chapter in his life. And, if there are any questions -"

"Yes, I'll begin training straight away and yes, thank you, I'm completely recovered and my Healer has assured me that there will be no further complications."

"It'll be like old times, playing against Potter, Weasley and Wood and yes, it will be odd playing against Robbie Grey. But, no I can assure you shooting at my dear brother will not be difficult. And no, I'm fairly certain I have a few more tricks up my sleeves."

"Yes, the Wolfsbane will have been my last project at the Department of Mysteries and I will be taking on indefinite, unpaid leave of absence. The Minister is currently looking into a replacement. And if this whole Quidditch thing doesn't work out -" she didn't get to finish because everyone laughed.

"Yes, I had heard that he was promoted just this morning. And of course we support each other, just as we support everyone in our family."

"I have yet to speak with Mr. Black, but I do hope very much to have a larger role in the Foundation, after, of course it is tested next month. And no, I had not named the Potion, that was all very much Mr. Black's doing."

"And I apologize, I'm afraid I will only answer questions about Quidditch now and not about my personal life, nor my brother's, nor anyone else's. So, thank you."

Of course, there were no more questions about Quidditch.

-8383-

After speaking with Mr. Widmore and Coach Carter and agreeing to begin training with the team in a few weeks time, she decided to stop in at Gringott's to deposit Draco's check and say hello to Bill and Fleur. Grumbling that she was wearing a bloody skirt, a bloody blouse and bloody heels, and knowing that Bill would be ecstatic, she decided that changing wasn't worth it. If other women could wear such things and be comfortable and proud, she could too.

"Ah, here to see how much money you've made today?"

She grinned, "Just because you were never good enough to play professionally, Billy -"

"Oi! That was low, even for you!" He laughed, "Here to remind me about drinks tonight for Diggory's promotion?"

"No, I actually came to deposit an anonymous donation to Sirius' Foundation!"

Bill looked surprised, "Anonymous? Is it from you?"

She rolled her eyes, "Then it wouldn't really be very anonymous, would it?" She handed him the slip of paper, "I don't know how this works exactly, but yes that's the correct amount of money, and yes it needs to be left anonymous. Please?"

His eyes bugged out, "Merlin. I don't even want to know how anyone came across this kind of money nor how they're able to get rid of it like this." He looked back at her, "Fleur's around here somewhere," he shrugged, "probably want to get lunch with you since I've got meetings all bloody afternoon."

Adelaide smiled, "See you tonight then," before walking to where Fleur's desk was. She had barely reached it when the woman had nearly glided to her and kissed her quickly on both cheeks.

"Adelaide, my darling! What are you doing here! And, look at you, you look wonderful! This outfit is perfect!" Adelaide felt a blush creeping on to her face: Fleur's compliments, though not very frequent, always seemed to be the nicest and most sincere.

"Thanks, it was for the press conference. I came to deposit a donation to the foundation," she looked at her watch, "did you have time for a quick bite to eat?" She was slightly shocked to see Fleur flit around her desk chattering nervously in quiet French as she gathered her things together. "Fleur, are you all right?"

Fleur looked up, her pretty pale blue eyes wide before she took Adelaide's arm and led her towards the door, "Yes, yes, I'm fine, I -" she hesitated as they passed through the large doors of Gringott's, "we are good friends, Adelaide. Yes?"

Adelaide smiled genuinely, "Course, Fleur."

Fleur nodded, "I'm pregnant."

Adelaide stopped walking, "Merlin, Fleur! That's bloody fantastic!" She laughed and pulled the taller woman in for a hug, "When are you due?"

"May. Bill and I went this morning," she laughed softly, "it's a bit soon," she smiled and shook her head, "but we are excited."

Adelaide laughed, "Who else knows? When are you going to tell everyone?"

Fleur waved a hand, "Soon, soon. I'll write to Mama and we'll tell Mum soon. But Adelaide, I must ask you something."

Adelaide nodded, "Course."

Fleur pulled her into a small cafe, "I haven't discussed this with Bill yet, but obviously I won't work at Gringott's for much longer, and well, I'd still like to make some money," she fidgeted slightly, "do you think I'd be able to work for the Foundation? Manage accounts and records, that sort of thing? I have some ideas -"

Adelaide laughed, "I think this is something you should bring up with Sirius Black."

-8383-

It was nice to gather everyone together for drinks, no excess Quidditch-players or possible new conquests, no coworkers, just the "kids" of St. Ottery, Harry, Hermione and Fleur. Even Ron had forgone a date with a "nice girl" he had met at the Ministry. Even Sirius, never one to deny a night of pub-debauchery, had "taken night off", allowing "you young folk" to enjoy their own company. George had picked a small Muggle pub where it would be unlikely for them to run into any reporters, where they would just be a bunch of loud, rowdy young people enjoying their night.

Harry raised his pint, "To Diggory, for getting promoted. Even without my help."

They all cheered and Fred turned to his twin, "Look at that! Potter's funny when he's pissed."

"Real sense of humor you've got there, saviour," George concluded with a wink.

Cedric rolled his eyes, "Yea, thanks, mate. The Board seemed to think I was famous enough in my own right."

Ron nearly spat out his drink, his eyes nearly bugging out of his face, "So you're not a bloody brilliant Healer?"

Percy did everyone the honors of smacking his younger brother up side the head. "Cedric, congratulations, again. You must be very excited."

He grinned, putting his arm on the back of Adelaide's chair, "I am."

Ginny raised her glass, "And to Adelaide for accepting the inevitable fact that her Portree will be losing to the Harpies."

"And Tutshill."

"And Ballycastle.

Everyone laughed as they all called, "Aye!" and "Well said" before taking a drink.

Neil raised his glass, "And that you two bloody kids are bloody back together."

Cedric and Adelaide rolled their eyes as everyone cheered.

Bill raised his glass, "And here's to Adelaide, Ginny and Hermione for being bloody smart enough, tough enough and intimidating enough that we don't have to threaten you lot," he pointed at Cedric, Harry and Fred. "But Potter -"

Harry raised his glass with everyone else, "Yea I know, I know. Savior or not," he rolled his eyes, "you'll tear me limb to limb."

-8383-

Adelaide couldn't stop smiling and laughing through the twins' bizarre and ridiculous toasts as they got more and more smashed. Even Hermione and Percy were a bit drunk, although they were more reserved. And Ron was just giggling. Fleur was leaning on Bill, having drank water all night (but convincing everyone it had been vodka). Everyone was having fun. No one was a sad or upset drunk. No one was left out. She turned her head slightly to look at Cedric who was laughing, at a toast to 'good ol' Mrs. Norris': he always had looked good in Muggle clothes. Today, in the pale green oxford he had worn to work, with his sleeves rolled up and his navy blue tie loosened around his neck, was no different. This confident, effortlessly cool and intelligent man had come a long way from the shy boy she had met so many years ago.

She wondered briefly just how drunk he was as her eyes slowly swept over his broad shoulders. When she felt his fingers lightly tracing over he bare knee, she met his clear, deep hazel eyes. He shot her a cocky smile and raised an eyebrow, challenging her as his fingers lightly and slowly traced over her knee to her bare thigh. She turned back to the table to see who the twins were toasting now, glad to see that he, like her, was only a bit tipsy, but not willing to let him win this game. But as his fingers reached the hem of her skirt and fluttered to her inner thigh, sneaking under the hem and leaned over, watching her face and whispering, "Want to get out of here?", she decided she could let him win. This time.

-8383-

His fingers ghosted over her bare back and he smiled contently to himself, leaning his head on his hand as he laid next to her. Her head was resting on her arm, her face peaceful as she slept soundly. He brushed some of her hair away from her face and watched her for a moment. Merlin, she was beautiful. And yet, whenever he had told her that, she never believed him. She looked so relaxed at that moment, as she slept, and he was more than pleased to see that she didn't seem to be having any nightmares.

He continued to trace the gentle planes of her back, all the dips and curves and bones, as he became lost in his thoughts. They all had nightmares. Everyone. Nights where they would wake up sweating, tears streaming down their faces, their throats hoarse from screaming. Things had been getting better the past few weeks, but there were still nights when he would wake up to find Adelaide already wide-awake, clutching him tightly, listening to his heartbeat. She never voiced her fears, but he knew. He thought about it too sometimes: he died. He had been murdered. And now, here they were in some slightly alternate reality -

But he knew that wasn't true. Plenty of people had used Time Turners before, it wasn't as if Adelaide had been the first. Harry and Hermione had saved Sirius with the use of a Time Turner before. Time was a tricky thing, a man-made concept that even after numerous attempts, could still not fully understand.

But sometimes, when he was alone in bed, on those few occasions Adelaide wasn't there with him, he couldn't help wonder: what if he had been supposed to die? The idea was ridiculous, of course, who would decide who was supposed to die or not? He knew that Adelaide believed that Snape had accepted death and that Sirius had still wanted to live. And using that logic made sense: he was fighting for a cause, he wanted to live. But hadn't he nearly died at the graveyard? And countless times during the War?

His fingers still traveled slowly over her back and he brought his attention back to her. What did it matter anyway? He was alive. She was alive. She had saved him and he had helped heal her. And in typical Adelaide-fashion, she didn't want any credit or thanks or for anyone else to know. Their little secret.

She moaned softly but continued to sleep and Cedric bit back a chuckle when a smile ghosted over his lips. His fingers traveled lightly over the deep maroon half-crested scar below her shoulder blade. He had pointed it out to her and she hadn't believed him until he showed her in a mirror. He circled the small scar now, still as fascinated and perplexed by it. Was it new? Was it old? Surely he (or Charlie even!) would have noticed it before, but it didn't look that old. Nor did it look as fresh as those of the Final Battle.

He nearly jumped when she said softly, "Is it that awful?" He looked at her face and smiled, leaning his head to kiss her softly.

"Not at all, love. It's beautiful. It's," he paused, "perplexing is all." She shivered slightly as he traced it again before shifting off his arm so his breath was hot on her shoulder. "I'm glad," he kissed her shoulder blade as he moved his body lower on the bed, "that I'm," his mouth hovered over the scar, "the only one who's seen it," he grinned against her skin as he felt her shiver, "that I'm the only one who's touched it."

She squirmed slightly before shifting on to her back, her own hands flitting lightly over his chest, smirking when his eyes closed. Throwing his leg over hers, he brought his lips to hers, groaning slightly when she arched up, her nails raking lightly down his chest and opening her mouth, inviting him in. When they took a breath, she put a hand on his cheek, her eyes conveying all the lust and love she felt for him. "Me too."

-8383-

Neil ran his fingers through his hair, getting a low growl out of his boyfriend when he circled the slight dip where his ear had once been. Neil chuckled, taking a sip of his beer, leaning his head on George's shoulder.

"How was practice?"

Neil shrugged, "Long. Coach is worried about Harpies."

George snorted, "Right, the Captain hasn't been going on about it for ages or anything."

Neil punched his side hard, evoking a grunt from the redhead. "Oi!" He went to take a swing but Neil held up his hands.

"You're going to injure the starting Keeper?"

George rolled his eyes, "I can't wait until I can pummel you during the offseason." He leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes and sighing. Neil slung his arm over his shoulders, kissed above where his ear should be before kissing his cheek.

"Where's Fred and Adelaide?" He mumbled, kissing his boyfriend's stubbly jaw.

George's eyes were still closed, enjoying Neil's kisses and not yet able to handle, his beautiful stormy grey eyes. "Fred's out at Hermione's but he's coming back and Adelaide's with Cedric somewhere."

Neil stopped kissing George's face and George frowned, his eyes still closed. He could feel Neil's breath, hot on his face; confused, he opened his eyes to find Neil's light blonde hair threatening to spill over his stormy grey eyes that were flickering between George's. "Move in with me?"

George stared at him, "Sorry wha-what?"

Neil's face broke into a smile, his hands cupping George's face roughly, "Let's move in together. Or at least, leave a toothbrush at my flat –"

George smirked, "You don't like playing musical flatmates?"

Neil groaned, his thumb stroking George's cheek, "I love you, but no. I'm tired of having to play it by ear, of having to see what Adelaide or Fred are doing. I hate all this swapping and moving and sneaking around."

George stared at him for a long moment, "I love you."

"I love you too," he brought his lips to George's in a slow, sensual kiss, grinning when they broke apart, his thumb stroking his stubbly cheek.

"You're beautiful," George said in slight awe as he ran his hands through his slightly shaggy light-blonde hair, his eyes slowly traveling over his face. "You're perfect," he shook his head slightly, "you really want to live together? Permanently?"

"I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, you prick," he chuckled and kissed him briefly, "you know that. I mean, when am I ever going to find another one-eared ginger bloke?" George groaned, partly in exasperation and embarrassment and partly because Neil's hand was inching slowly down his chest. "Now, come on, Handsome, let's go before someone comes back," his pulled George up, "we need to figure this living situation out fast. I want to be able to stay on the couch without being afraid of someone walking in."

George waggled his eyebrows, "You'd love it if someone walked in."

Neil crushed his lips to George's as they stumbled towards the bedroom, "If they weren't related to me, sure."

-8383-

Adelaide walked hurriedly off the elevator, not paying much attention to who she was passing, and mentally cursing herself for accidentally spending too much time on the Diggory-Hayworth Wolfsbane so that they could test it in two days, when she nearly bumped in to someone. "Oh, sorry –" she nearly yelped from the shock of seeing Sirius, "what are you doing here? We're supposed to be at the Burrow!"

She frowned when she noticed how angry he looked. "Where did the money come from?"

"Sorry?" She tried to keep walking towards the Floo.

"The donation money for the foundation. Where did it come from?"

"Sirius, what does it matter? It was from an anonymous donor."

He grabbed her wrist but let go immediately when he heard her growl and saw the anger and fire in her eyes. "Sirius Black. Did you just try to grab me?"

He ignored her question, "Was it Malfoy's money?"

She poked him forcefully in the chest and said threateningly in a low voice, "You are way out of line, Sirius. It's a donation. His heart is in the right place – he's not doing it to make himself better. He saw what Greyback did. He's going to distribute it abroad before going to distribute it abroad before helping to brew it in the future. He wants to be involved and you are going to allow it! "She shook her head in disbelief, "You, Sirius, of all people should allow him a second chance."

Before she even allowed for her words to sink through his thick skull, she walked the last few feet to the Floo. With a scowl on her face she stumbled through into the Floo and would have fallen had Ron's back not been there to stop her. Rubbing her forehead she frowned, "Sorry, Ron."

Ron shrugged, "It's all right, Addie," he saw her scowl, "are you all right?"

"Yea, yea, I'm fine," she attempted a weak smile, "uh, Sirius may be a bit late." She missed Harry's face fall and Ginny's reassuring squeeze of his hand.

Mrs. Weasley hurried everyone in to the kitchen to squeeze around the table: she was very obviously flustered and anxious to get dinner started. Before everyone could sit down, however, Bill cleared his throat, "Um, everyone," he put his arm around his wife's waist and opened his mouth to finish, but Fleur cut him off.

"We're pregnant!"

Mrs. Weasley dropped the dish she was holding, but a quick-on-his-feet Mr. Weasley waved his wand to catch it. She pulled both Bill and Fleur in to a painfully tight hug, unable to say anything as tears freely streamed down her face. She kissed Fleur's cheeks and Fleur let out a watery chuckle, "You're going to be granmum."

Mr. Weasley finally pried his wife away so everyone else could congratulate them. Before they could sit down, however, there was a cough from the entryway. "Oi! What's he doing here?" Ron's voice broke every one's good mood and they all stared at where Sirius was standing with a familiar platinum-blonde young man.

"You all know my cousin, Draco," Sirius said, the anger and disgust that had been so evident earlier was now gone. "He's donated a large sum of money to the Foundation and he's asked to volunteer as well - distributing and brewing."

Everyone was silent. No one knew what to make of such an announcement, nor of a Malfoy's presence at the Burrow. It was Harry who spoke first. He put his hand out for his former classmate to shake and said with a genuine smile, "Thanks, Draco. Please, won't you stay for dinner?"

Draco shook his head, "Oh, no, I couldn't," but the gratitude he felt was clear on his face. He looked at Mrs. Weasley, "I really couldn't intrude, Sirius just wanted me here for the announcement."

Mrs. Weasley waved a hand and bustled to the cabinets for another place setting, "Nonsense."

Draco looked around awkwardly at everyone, attempting to smile: the change that had begun immediately after the War was now obvious to even someone as thickheaded as Ron. Gone was the slicked-back hair, sharp facial features and haughty attitude: Draco had a softer air about him now.

Adelaide smiled at him, "All right, Draco? We're testing again this coming full moon." She nodded solemnly back: he had been forgiven.

Bill informed Sirius and Draco of the announcement they had missed and received two very enthusiastic congratulations. When everyone was finally seated and had begun to eat, Harry tapped his glass with his knife and cleared his throat nervously. "I, uh, don't want to steal the spotlight from Bill and Fleur, but, um, I, couldn't wait and since nearly the entire family is here," he adjusted his glasses, "I asked Ginny to marry me -"

"And I said yes!" She raised her hand, grinning at the collective gasps of Mrs. Weasley, Fleur and Hermione.

Mrs. Weasley very nearly knocked over the huge table in her haste to reach the pair.

Considering the War had ended only 6-months prior, a lot of things had changed and been accomplished: nearly all Death Eaters were dead or locked up, Hogwarts was back in session, the Ministry was running smoothly and everyone's personal lives, were on the up and up. It was astonishing how much they could accomplish in such a short amount of time when everyone was very nearly all on the same page.

And Ginny and Harry had decided on a December 12 wedding: before Fleur was too large, during the Quidditch-hiatus and soon enough so that they could move in together without any flack from Molly. And that way they could have it at Hogwarts: McGonagall had agreed to send the kids home a few days early this year. Of course, Mrs. Weasley was very nearly driving the new Headmistress towards an early retirement with all of her owls and "surprise visits" to the castle.

Addie reluctantly had taken the day off from both training and the Department of Mysteries to go dress shopping with Ginny, Mrs. Weasley and the other bridesmaids. She had met Luna a few times and enjoyed her immensely and she was glad to have someone like Ginny's teammate, Cassie, who was as impartial to both dresses and shopping as she was.

"So, Hermione, when I move out -"

Hermione covered the girl's mouth quickly with a hiss, "Your mum -"

Fleur let out a soft, tinkling chuckle, "She's speaking with a clerk, Hermione, dear," a slow smile crept on to her perfect face, "are you going to move in with Fred?"

Hermione blushed slightly, "We've discussed it, yes. It is rather a large flat for just one person and I know Neil and George are keen -" she rolled her eyes and looked at Addie, "how many times have you caught them snogging?"

Adelaide groaned as she attempted to pull what felt like the tenth dress on (but was really only the second), "Considering he's my brother, one too many."

"Well, we've been seriously discussing it," Hermione continued, "and I know you're mum wouldn't be too pleased," she bit her lip. "But I think he might move in."

Ginny let out a squeal and pulled Hermione into a hug that could rival one of Mrs. Weasley's and Luna said dreamily, "That will be great fun."

Hermione continued, feeling the need to justify her decision, but Fleur waved a dismissive hand, "You're both adults, aren't you? And not everyone's as ready for marriage right away -"

Ginny nodded as she reached for another gown, "Harry and I had been dating and you and Fred haven't been dating that long -"

"Have you talked about marriage?" Cassie glanced at herself in the mirror, "I like this one, Gin."

Ginny grinned and nodded and Adelaide pouted as she slipped off her second dress, "No fair! That was only your first dress!"

Cassie shrugged, "Well, Hermione?"

Hermione blushed again, "We're not ready yet -"

Luna clapped her hands, "But you have talked about it!"

Ginny squealed again.

Adelaide was oblivious to the silence and stares as she tried on an emerald green strapless dress and looked in the mirror, "I like this one - is this okay, Gin?" She finally noticed several pairs of eyes watching her intently in the mirror. "What? It's not that bad is it?"

"No, it's great, Adelaide," Ginny smirked.

Fleur quirked a perfectly shaped blonde eyebrow, "What about you and Cedric?"

Adelaide's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What about me and Cedric?"

"Are you going to move in if Neil moves out?"

"Neil will definitely move out," Hermione reasoned.

Adelaide shrugged, "We haven't discussed it, but it would make sense - be a bit easier avoiding Neil and George." She slipped the dress off and reached for her clothes only to sign exasperatedly when she saw the stares again. "What now?"

"You haven't talked about it?" Ginny was flabbergasted.

"What about marriage?"

Adelaide shrugged, "No. We're happy now, aren't we?"

Fleur waved a hand, "Sure, but don't you want to get married?"

Adelaide frowned, "I really, honestly, hadn't given it that much thought -"

Ginny and Fleur both looked like they were going to argue when Hermione said quickly, "Ginny that dress is gorgeous!"

Everyone immediately began gushing over Ginny and Adelaide's confession was soon forgotten.

-8383-

She absentmindedly knocked the door to Cedric and Neil's flat and was surprised to see Neil standing there, "Was dress shopping that bad?"

Adelaide groaned and pulled Neil into a hug, "Diggory still at work?"

Neil nodded, "Up for a drink?"

Adelaide ran a tired hand over her face, "Apparently everyone has wedding fever."

Neil laughed as he wandered into the kitchen to fetch two hard ciders, his new favorite Muggle drink. "Hermione said she and Fred have talked about it, they aren't ready yet, but want to move in together -"

"And then they asked you."

Adelaide looked at him exasperatedly, "They were shocked that we haven't discussed it." She took a sip, "I mean, why can't we just stay like this for a bit? Where's the rush?"

Neil shrugged, "You do want to spend the rest of your life with him, right?"

"Well, yes."

"And traditionally," Neil continued, "the next logical step would be to get married."

Adelaide made a face, "Well if I have to have a wedding like Ginny's," she shook her head, "it's a curious. I'd rather not." She took another drink. "What about you and George?" She smirked, "Is he 'the one'?"

Neil stared at his bottle for a moment, "Do I want to spend the rest of my life with him, you mean?" He smiled, "Course."

Adelaide frowned, "Why do I sense a 'but'?"

"Wizarding Law won't recognize a marriage between homosexuals," he said sadly, staring at his bottle again.

A slow, indignant anger filled her, "What? That's outrageous! Does Kingsley know about this? He'll change it! He must!"

Neil chuckled sadly, "Needs to be put through a vote, Addie. And, believe it or not, everyone isn't so keen on gays."

Adelaide opened and shut her mouth numerous time before Neil clapped his hand on her shoulder, "It's all right. George and I are happy - and when Fred moves out, we'll move in together," he shrugged and winked at her, "now if you'll excuse me, I have a very early practice tomorrow."

-8383-

Cedric could tell something was on her mind and he wanted nothing more than to talk to her about it, but he knew the Tutshill-Ballycastle game was not the place. His fingers danced slowly over her shoulder and arm and he smiled slightly when she shifted closer to him: for someone who always felt awkward kissing in public and who always had such a tough facade, she really did enjoy always being close to him.

Unable to contain his curiosity and concern much longer, he whispered, "You all right?"

She turned to him and knew he could see right through her, "Neil's going to move in with George if Fred movies in with Hermione."

Cedric frowned, his head tilted slightly as he watched her, "And why is that bad? Do you not want to live with me?"

"Do you _want me_ to live with _you_?"

Cedric chuckled, kissing her forehead, "I hate waking up without you next to me, love," he was still whispering, "will you come live with me?" He knew he needed to explicitly ask her if he wanted her to move in.

She smiled slightly and kissed him quickly before they both turned back to the match. But she was still tense; Cedric was not going to let her off that easy.

-8383-

He shut the door and followed her to the kitchen where he shut the refrigerator door she had just opened, "Oi! I was getting a drink!"

He crossed his arms and blockaded the Muggle appliance. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'm excited to -"

Cedric smiled wryly, "You are a terrible liar. Spill."

She rolled her eyes, "Nothing! It's silly. The girls were just being silly and prying into our lives and -"

Cedric fidgeted slightly not having anticipated this kind of conversation. Moving in was one thing - the practically lived together now, but -

She rubbed his arm, "Hey, I like what we are," she put a hand over his heart as his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her close to him as he leaned against the refrigerator. "We love each other, we're happy, we're going to live together."

"I don't need a ring," he smirked, "I can wait to get married or anything," he shrugged before looking at her seriously, "but I do want to be with you." He watched her, "Forever."

She kissed him slowly, "I don't look good in white anyway," she smirked against his lips.

A few minutes later, after smiling lazily at each other and pushing off against the fridge, Adelaide looked at him seriously. "Neil and George can't get married."

Cedric frowned, "I hadn't even thought of that."

She watched him, biting her lower lip, "I don't want to get married until he can," she took a deep breath, "and I want to tell reporters and Ministry-lawyers that. To take a stand and make a point."

Cedric smiled, "That's brilliant. You're brilliant." He cocked an eyebrow, "As long as we can still do things married people do."

She cocked an eyebrow in challenge, "What did you have in mind, Diggory?"

-8383-

"Healer Diggory!" Cedric turned, looking up briefly from his folders at the Mediwtich waving her hands and racing towards him, "I know you have a meeting, but there's a patient that's just come in -"

Cedric frowned and began to walk along side her, "And? I hadn't been expecting any patients -"

"She's been transferred from plants and venom but no one can tell what's wrong and she's losing blood and brain function fast -"

Cedric nodded, "Tell Chief Healer Lang what you've told me, will you? Tell her I won't be making the meeting -"

The young witch nodded and turned back around as Cedric continued on and grabbing the patient's file when he reached the room. His eyes raced across the page and frowned when he saw just how scarce it was: no one really knew what had happened to this girl. "Has she been a given a full-body scan?"

"Nothing came up, sir."

Cedric grimaced, "Only magic though, no one gave her a once-over, did they? He ordered everyone out of the room, before putting on gloves and removing the woman's blanket to examine her legs and feet before lifting her robes - she had been unconscious and no one bothered to put her in a gown - and turning her over when he found it. Or, rather, them.

-8383-

"You wanted to see me, Healer Lang?" She looked up from the stack of papers in front of her and put her glasses on the top of her head.

"Good work today, Healer Diggory. We've decided to make it protocol for Muggle scans and searches when something can not be explained."

Cedric nodded, "Not everything can be found by magic."

She put her glasses back on, "Your report says that the combination of the infected Muggle tattoo, badly repaired break and a dormant virus that was triggered by the infection, all caused her to become catatonic and bleed out?" Cedric nodded and she continued, "Why was the break not healed magically?"

"Happened during the War when she was in hiding in Wales."

Healer Lang nodded, "Good work, Diggory." She smirked slightly when she dismissed him, "I believe tonight is the full moon?"

Cedric smiled, "I'll read the minutes of the meeting then, Chief."

-8383-

The few remaining weeks leading up to Harry and Ginny's wedding were a blur: the test had been a success and the Foundation quickly acquired a small facility for Adelaide, Draco, Hermione and others to begin brewing for the next month and for Fleur and an eager Tonks to begin reaching out to werewolves. Quidditch-season was winding down to the winter hiatus and Adelaide was busy splitting her time between training, the foundation and tying up loose ends at the Department of Mysteries, including securing a replacement. Cedric's new department had almost instantly gained international recognition and full-time Mediwitch and Healer were assigned to the Department. Fred and George were taking serious steps towards expanding their store, Ron was excelling in his training, Percy was very nearly writing new regulations every day and Hermione was splitting her time between multiple departments in the Ministry.

Harry and Ginny had decided to forego the usually-separate bachelor and bachelorette parties and instead decided on a very posh, invite-only, black-tie cocktail party, paid for by Sirius Black, at the Black Family Country Manor. (Which had recently been formally passed to him after its deed had been "lost" at the Ministry for decades and had been seemingly forgotten by all Black-relatives. No one had stepped foot in it for what seemed like centuries. Sirius tried, unsuccessfully, to give it to the Lupins, Bill and Fleur and Harry, but they had all refused, although Ginny had whispered, "Ask us again in a few years, will you?" to which Sirius had nearly erupted in unchecked laughter).

It was a magnificent manor: although smaller than Malfoy Manor, it was more authentic to the countryside and the time period it was made. Hermione said to Adelaide when Sirius first showed them photographs, "It looks straight out of a Jane Austen novel," to which Adelaide, having read _Pride & Prejudice_ once many years ago, had to agree. And in only two short weeks, four days before the wedding, it had been renovated, cleaned, furnished and prepared for the "pre-wedding event of the century".

And Harry and Ginny, who did not want to be bothered fighting them, and knowing Sirius couldn't get enough press, allowed reporters. They weren't going to be permitted on the grounds of Hogwarts, but at least they'd be able to line the entrance of Black Country Manor.

_The wedding of the century is preceded by the black-tie event everyone will be talking about. It was held at the Black Country Manor in beautiful Somerset and was a who's-who of Wizarding England. The long driveway was lined with tinkling lights, created by Ms. Hermione Granger who assured all they were not harmful to any creature. Guests arrived by Portkey by at the lane's gate and were driven up to the door by carriages Daily Prophet reporters and photographs were granted permission by Mr. Sirius Black, owner of the beautiful Manor and godfather of the groom, to line the stairs to the door and the hall inside._

_The party may have been "invite-only" but we would be hard-pressed to name many who weren't invited. The entire Harpies and Tutshill squads, every member of the now-infamous Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix. The entire Weasley family was present, including Dragon Keeper Charlie Weasley and his colleague Jack Hayworth who both made the journey from the Romanian Reserve to be there._

_Mr. Viktor Krum, who had been one of Mr. Potter's opponents during the TriWizard Tournament was reunited with Mrs. Fleur Weasley and Mr. Cedric Diggory. The four happily obliged for a photograph and all seemed to have "buried the hatchet" of competition long ago._

_The Minister himself was present, as was Neville Longbottom, one of Mr. Potter's very close friends from school and a hero himself. _

_When asked who the next of his merry troupe to marry would be, Ms. Granger blushed as her boyfriend, Mr. Fred Weasley laughed and promised it would "most likely be a Weasley."_

_However, when a reporter asked Mr. Cedric Diggory and his beau, Ms. Adelaide Hayworth if they were thinking of marrying soon, Ms. Hayworth answered as Mr. Diggory nodded in agreement, "We will not get married until my brother -"_

_"- And best friends -"_

_"Can get married." When the reporter asked for a clarification, Ms. Hayworth smiled and said simply, "Not until Neil Hayworth and George Weasley can have a union recognized equally by the Ministry."_

_This was the only time politics was mentioned during the event, although this subject will no doubt remain a hot-button topic for weeks to come._

_-_8383_-_

When Adelaide and Cedric walked away from the flashing cameras and the reporters, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back, he grinned at her, whispering, "That'll give them something to talk about, love."

She shrugged, "Once this wedding is over, sure." They walked into the large, simple and majestic hall where they were soon hugged by a teary Mrs. Weasley, a jubliant Sirius and Kate, his date, a slightly frantic Hermione herself before Mr. Diggory and Mr. Hayworth waved them over to the bar.

Amos Diggory had once been adamant in his desire and wish that Cedric take up a "good" position at the Ministry, marry and have children to "carry on" the Diggory name: his dreams for his son nearly ruined their relationship and it wasn't until Cedric nearly died during the tournament, had his heart ripped out (figuratively, of course) and had to go into hiding, that he realized his son was perfect no matter what. Amos just wanted his son to be happy. Of course it was an added bonus that Cedric was now a very famous and very successful Healer: Amos loved to brag.

Amos had always liked Adelaide: he had no daughter of his own and yet perhaps because Adelaide was not your "typical" girl she was easier for Amos to understand. He always liked her because she was Cedric's good friend but he had been a bit confused when they started dating. But when she broke Cedric's heart, he of course supported his son and he had been vocal in cautioning Cedric when it was known she had returned. He knew Cedric could take care of himself and he knew Adelaide was a fine, intelligent lovely, young woman, but he was still protective of his son.

Of course it was an added bonus to brag about your son's girlfriend, Adelaide Hayworth.

"Why, Cedric! Adelaide! How did you enjoy the reporters?" Mr. Hayworth gave his daughter a hug before shaking Cedric's hand, Mr. Diggory giving them both hugs.

"It was all right, nothing we haven't done before."

Amos laughed heartily and said to Ray, "Our children! Veteran celebrities!"

Ray laughed as well, but Adelaide and Cedric rolled their eyes and continued on before they could continue, "You'd think they'd never drank before," Cedric groaned.

-8383-

"Um, Mr. Weasley?"

Arthur turned from the Muggle buffet table where he was lifting open one of trays to watch the mechanisms at work. Looking sheepish he said quickly, "Oh, Neil, I was just um, grabbing some -" he made a face, "definitely not foie grais. Why would Sirius bother -"

Neil tried to bite back a smile, "Uh, Mr. Weasley I was hoping I could talk to you?"

"Oh, please, Neil, it's Arthur," he chuckled and motioned for Neil to follow him down the buffet line.

"Right, erm - Mr. W - Arthur," he ran a hand through his slightly-shaggy hair, "I know this is rather unconventional, well, dating George, of course, but also because, well," he took a deep breath, "I'd like your approval or blessing or something because I'd like to move in with George."

Mr. Weasley nodded, "Yes, yes, of course," he tried to hide a grin, "why do you want my permission? I mean, shouldn't you check with George?"

Neil chuckled nervously and ran a hand through his hair, "Yes, but usually you check with the father, and I know we're both men, but I'm a bit older and it's his flat and I'd just feel better knowing we'd have your blessing. I mean, living together and not being married -"

Arthur watched the young man, "_Would_ you marry him?"

Neil grinned, "I would, Mr. Weasley. I love George and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

Arthur smiled fondly at the boy and clapped him on the shoulder, "Very well, very well. You make George happy and that's all a father could really want," he thought for a moment, "you'll move in above the shop?"

Neil nodded, "Yessir, if Adelaide and Fred move out."

Arthur's face broke into a grin, "Excuse me, Neil, I must got and find my son." But Arthur didn't specify _which_ son.

-8383-

Fred placed a hand on her back and flashed Kingsley and the other "important wizards" she was speaking with a charming smile before excusing themselves and guiding an obviously annoyed Hermione away. "Fred Weasley! What do you think you're doing?" she hissed when they finally stopped.

"Sorry, love, but Dad gave me some good advice - if we don't want any grief from mum we need to tell her now that we plan on moving in together." He smirked slightly, "That is, if you still want to."

She blushed slightly and crossed her arms, "Yes, I still want to. Although I should probably ask Cedric for a brain scan." She rolled her eyes and allowed him to kiss her cheek, "All right, all right, let's tell her now, shall we? And get one of your recording things -"

He shook his head exasperatedly, "Memory Recording Ribbons, darling."

"Yes, yes, well you really should work out a better name, dear."

-8383-

Mrs. Weasley clapped her hands, "Oh, loves, this is wonderful! All my babies getting married and having children and happy and in love!" She looped her arm through her husband's as she tried to wipe away a few tears, "I'm so happy."

Arthur nodded at Fred and Hermione snuck away. "Does she think we're getting married?"

Fred shrugged, "I think she's a bit drunk from happiness - and champagne." He kissed he top of her head, "But she likes you to much to think you're a harlot for shaking up with me without a ring."

She snorted, "You mean shacking up with me, Mr. Weasley."

-8383-

Adelaide her legs resting across Cedric's lap, was reading a book on dragons as Cedric flipped through a Muggle medical journal, his eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated. She looked up momentarily to watch him. "Why are you reading a Muggle journal?"

"Hm?" He looked up to find her smirking slightly at him. She nodded at the journal. "Oh! Well, there are some really good ideas in here - some good practices I mean," he was nearly grinning now and Adelaide couldn't help but get caught up in his excitement, "I mean, instead of just magic telling them what could be wrong, they actually see inside the body, using machines that create full images!" He pointed at a picture and Adelaide soon found herself nearly as fascinated as Cedric.

And it wasn't long before they were heading to a Muggle bookstore to look at more journals.

-8383-

Adelaide unceremoniously plopped on Cedric's lap, causing him to grunt, "I'm babysitting Teddy tonight," she sighed.

"Since when?"

"Since Hermione got sick and since everyone else's busy."

Cedric grinned at her, "Well, I'll go with you."

"But you were going to read those journals -"

He shook his head, "No, I was going to spend time with you. Now come on, I'll put shoes on and we can go."

She had never been one to think about having children or getting married when she was a little girl. But watching Cedric with Teddy? It didn't want her to have a baby right away, but she could see them - in the future - raising a child - or two. Not that she ever doubted Cedric's fatherly potential or capability, she had just never given it much thought. But watching him with Teddy, without the rest of the family around, made her both excited and nervous. One day they could start a family. They were going to grow old together.

Teddy gargled, his hair now an unusual burgundy color raised his pudgy hands and grabbed at the hair in front of her. She laughed and picked him up, settling him on her lap, "Do you want Auntie Addie to tell you a story?"

He gurgled again and Cedric leaned back on his hands, watching them as she began to tell Teddy a story he knew very well: it was a story they used to read to Ron and Ginny involving knights and pirates and wizards: Adelaide and Neil had invented it one rainy day, taking different elements from movies and combining them together. It was never the same story, but it also never involved any sort of damsel in distress: young Adelaide would never stand for it.

Cedric watched her with Teddy, not really listening to the words, but to the way her voice changed to the way it captivated Teddy. Not that he had ever doubted it, but she was wonderful full children: and if her relationships with all the Weasleys, her classmates at Hogwarts and her employees at the Department of Mysteries, she'd be a fair, just and loving mother. If she ever wanted to be. He smiled: and he wanted her to be.

-8383-

A/N: Next up, the wedding!


	23. A Very Potter Wedding

_**A Very Potter Weddding**_

Going back to Hogwarts with her family and friends was like going home: it was like the horrors that had happened during the Battle had never happened. And even though parts of the castle structure were new, it was difficult to distinguish what was new and what was old. Adelaide and the rest of the women of the wedding party were just settling in to their temporary beds in Gryffindor Tower when a House elf popped in requesting Adelaide's presence in the Headmistress's office. She shrugged at Ginny and her fellow bridesmaids, "I'll meet you all down at dinner." Once she got her bearings - she had never been to Gryffindor Tower before and had only seen it on the map - she walked the familiar halls to the gargoyle, realizing she didn't know the password.

Frowning, she only waited a few minutes before the gargoyle opened to McGonagall who smiled warmly, "Ah, yes, Ms. Hayworth, he's waiting for you," and walked off with a small smile. She ascended the stairs slowly: the last few times she had been here had not been exactly enjoyable.

The office looked relatively unchanged and Adelaide wondered briefly if it had always been like this, no matter who the Headmaster. She nearly jumped when she heard a loud snort, "I'm supposed to believe that she was the one who brought my bloody foolish relative Sirius back from the Veil?"

A familiar laugh sounded, "Yes, that is Adelaide," she looked up at the twinkling face of one Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor?"

He nodded, "I wanted to apologize. And thank you."

Adelaide could feel her cheeks heating up slightly, "You don't need to apologize, sir. Nor thank me." She looked back up and was caught completely by surprise at his extremely sincere expression."

"It was selfish of me to ask for such a large sacrifice for you, Ms. Hayworth. Although I am grateful that everything has seemed to work out now," he winked, "for my own selfish reasons, of course. And I am very impressed by your vast accomplishments."

"H-how-"

"Dear Minerva let's me read the Prophet and we Headmasters," he waved his painted hand out over everyone, "are able to hear a lot of things."

"Like that you defied, taunted and escaped the Dark Lord -" one of the portraits chuckled, "very impressive."

Her face got hot, "Oh, yes, please don't - not very many people know that, if any."

"Or that you created a Time Turner and used it to save a number of people -"

"And that you took down all those Death Eaters -"

She sighed, "Yes, yes, thank you, I understand, you know all about me."

Dumbledore chuckled, "You have done great things, Adelaide, and you will continue to do great things," he frowned briefly, "and I am, truly sorry for making you sacrifice your life."

She put up a hand, "Please, professor. Everything's worked out how and we're all alive," she smiled, "but thank you," she opened her mouth to apologize to him, but he shook his head.

"Go to dinner, or you'll be late."

She couldn't help but chuckle, "Goodbye, Professor."

-8383-

Adelaide hurried to the Great Hall, knowing that everyone was probably already there, already admiring the decorations and the newly-renovated Hall; she was both excited and anxious to see the Hall. It was the first time she, and many of the other guests, would be seeing it for the first time. Cedric looked around again and frowned slightly: where was she? Hermione had said that she had been requested to the Headmistress' office, but McGonagall was here already. So where was she? He was starting to worry that perhaps being back at Hogwarts had been too much for her, had brought back too many difficult and terrifying memories. But then, his heart nearly stopped when he saw her, a huge grin on her face, walk through the open doors of the Hall, her eyes lifting to the ceiling and clapping her hands when she saw the beautiful, clear starry-sky.

Ginny wanted her bridesmaids to wear dresses that honored their Houses: she wore a gold dress while Hermione wore a beautiful burgundy, Cassie wore a pale Hufflepuff-yellow, and Luna opted for a short black dress and bright Ravenclaw-blue heels. But Cedric noticed immediately that hers was different. It was a stunning and eye-catching blue, the same bright Ravenclaw-blue as Luna's shoes, that looked absolutely brilliant with her tan skin, her light grey eyes and her dark blonde hair. But that's what wasn't what caught Cedric's eye, well, at least, now his eyes weren't feasting over her dress or what skin she was showing (a lot since it was a strapless, relatively short dress), but the pale yellow sash around her waist that matched her pale yellow heels perfectly. Hufflepuff yellow.

She smiled when she saw Cedric staring at her and walked towards him, a large grin on her face as she admired him in his Muggle suit. "Good evening," she said in an attempt to seem nonchalant, "you clean up nice."

She nearly melted at his crooked, charming smile, "Is that Hufflepuff yellow?"

She could feel her cheeks heating up slowly, "Well, you see, my boyfriend was a Hufflepuff, unfortunately, and well, he was also a Hogwarts Champion -"

Cedric kissed her cheek, "Co-champion, love," he offered her his arm as they made their way slowly to where everyone was mingling and enjoying cocktails before dinner started, "You look lovely, by the way. That blue - as horrid as the House it represents is -" he chuckled when she hit his arm, "looks lovely on you. But that yellow, I must say."

She pinched his arm, "Shut it. Ginny wasn't that impressed but she let it slide."

He meant to ask her where she had gone and who she had been speaking with, since it clearly hadn't been McGonagall, but he didn't get a chance. In between eating dinner, dancing, and never taking his eyes off her, it was hard to find an appropriate moment.

"Want to go for a walk," he whispered hotly into her ear during one of the dances, "this dress is killing me."

She nearly giggled - and Adelaide Hayworth _never_ giggled. But being with Cedric - dancing with Cedric - in the Great Hall was bringing back so many memories, and the thought of being with him in the castle was all kinds of exciting. And _slightly_ naughty. She knew that if all of their friends and family hadn't been in the same room as them -

She bit her lip, "Yes, please."

They barely made it out the door and around a corner before his lips descended on to hers with a groan, the lapels of his jacket gripped tightly in her fists. After a few moments they heard whispers and muffled voices and quietly stole down the hall.

They were walking arm in arm now, down various torch-lit halls when Cedric asked, "Want to go to the Heads' Room?"

She smiled coyly at him, "Diggory, what has gotten into you this evening."

He smirked, "We used to spend a lot of time there, Addie. Wouldn't it be fun - _exciting_. We could finally, you know," he kissed her neck, "_sleep_ there."

"But I'm supposed to be staying -"

He stopped kissing her neck to look into her eyes, "Adelaide, be serious. No one is going to be sleeping there tonight."

She smiled slowly and taking his hand, led him towards the Heads' Room.

-8383-

"Horace," Cedric grinned at the familiar portrait of the plump friar.

"Mr. Diggory!" The friar let out a raucous laugh, "And is that Ms. Hayworth? How wonderful! I heard rumors of your reconcile!" He patted his stomach, "And to what do I owe such a nice visit?"

"Ah, actually Horace, we were wondering if maybe we could pop in, you know, see the old rooms -"

"Mr. Diggory," he waved a stubby finger at him, "you know I can't very well do that!"

"Horace, mate, please? Just this once? We won't touch anything, we just want to pop in quickly -"

"For old times sake," Adelaide finished and smiled charmingly when the friar nodded his head and the portrait swung open.

"Just a few minutes!" He called after them.

"Good to see a Ravenclaw as a Head," Adelaide smirked as she quickly scanned the common room.

Cedric sighed, "I guess it does change every year," he frowned, "it's not the same at all."

She took his hand and squeezed it tightly, "But Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff will be –"

He smirked at her, "You devious little –" she kissed him swiftly before pushing Horace's portrait back open, "thanks, Horace. See you around, yea?"

Laughing, Cedric followed her out, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her towards the Ravenclaw Tower.

-8383-

Mrs. Weasley had truly outdone herself: she had received help from McGonagall and the House Elves of course and input from Ginny, but this was her doing. Her ultimate vision, her organization. Her baby's wedding day. Cedric, seated in between Jack and Neil, admired the decorations – the white and gold flowers, the scores of floating candles, the clear blue sky above and the long, mahogany pews. He was talking quietly to Jack when the music started they all turned to look and his breath caught, his heart nearly skipping a beat.

The Great Hall paled in comparison to her. He didn't think she could look much more fantastic than she had last night in their houses' colors, but he would have been wrong. It wasn't that she didn't always look beautiful, but seeing her walking down the aisle, a huge smile on her face, her eyes glued to his, in such a bold, magnificent color – he nearly stopped breathing. He barely paid attention to the others. Ginny looked wonderful too in her simple white dress her long red hair cascading down her back. But Adelaide's simple-cut emerald dress and her blonde hair pulled into a loose easy up-do, he believed, stole the show. His eyes never left her throughout the ceremony – he ignored the first kiss he was too busy watching her.

Jack nudged his arm as they stood to watch the newlyweds walk back down the aisle, "That going to be you someday, Diggory?"

Cedric shrugged, not really listening and not wanting to turn around as Adelaide walked past him with a wink. Jack merely rolled his eyes and smirked. All of these couples were so transparent.

-8383-

Cedric barely left her side the entire reception; not that she minded of course. The whole thing was rather romantic and she found it too difficult to ignore. There was so much love and so much joy that it should have sickened her, but how could it? After greeting and thanking guests, Harry and Ginny were inseparable and barely talked to anyone if they didn't have to. They'd be spending the weekend at the Black Country Manor before taking their real honeymoon in January.

As soon as she could, Adelaide hurried to Jack to meet his date; Cedric at her side, his arm snug around her waist. Lana was gorgeous, something Adelaide told Jack with only a simple eyebrow raise. She was tall, barely shorter than Jack with only small heels. She had long, silky black hair that was pulled into a sleek ponytail and large cerulean eyes that needed no make-up to pop.

She grinned when she shook Adelaide's hand, "I've heard a lot about you," her Canadian accent came as a bit of a surprise.

"I hope only good things and nothing from the papers –"

She shook her head, "There was only some mention, but Jack made sure to fill me in," she grinned, "and Charlie promised to help too." She shook Cedric's hand too, "It's been very nice to meet you two, hopefully we can talk later?" Jack winked at them, "She's excited to meet Neil too, although I do keep telling her I'm the better looking –"

Lana smacked his arm playfully earning matching smirks from Adelaide and Cedric.

Charlie's date was just as beautiful as Lana but she had light brown hair and dark hazel eyes. She had a faint German accent and a loud laugh that no one could even possibly hate. Adelaide was immediately enamored of Heidi just as she was with Lana: she could not have picked more perfect girls for her brother and best friend.

"Charlie has told me so much about you two! And he's made sure I know the true stories, none of that gossip!" She shook Cedric's hand heartily, "And ChuckChuck will hate me for saying so, but you, Cedric are a legend in my German village. That vampire you saved? Has lived in my village for decades. If I didn't love my hatchlings so much, I'd be a Healer, just like Lana."

After meeting Heidi and Lana and after a few glasses of champagne, Adelaide found her dance with Cedric interrupted by Jack who wanted a short dance. "Jackie, really? A brother-sister dance?"

"Gin's dancing with Charlie, Addie."

She chuckled, "Lana is lovely. You did pretty well for yourself."

He rolled his eyes, "Thanks. She's actually extended her time at the Reserve - she was only supposed to be there for three months, but she'll stay another three."

"For now."

-8383-

"Cedric, m'boy, enjoying yourself?" Mr. Hayworth stood next to him, taking a drink of his pint.

"Yes, thanks, Mr. Hayworth. Although Jack's stolen my date."

He chuckled, "Ah, yes, I see that," he turned back to the younger man, "thank you for coming to me, although it was completely unnecessary when you wanted to ask Adelaide to move in with you."

Cedric smiled ruefully, "She actually bought it up before I got a chance to ask her a bit more properly."

Raymond laughed again and watched as Cedric turned back to Adelaide and Jack, "You plan on proposing?"

Cedric started at the blunt question. "I've thought of it of course, but I didn't want to right away, let Harry and Fred get married and all that first," he turned to the older man, "we did discuss it and well, it was her idea, although I agree. We want to wait until Neil and George can legally marry."

Ray smiled and turned fondly towards his only daughter, "Just as the papers had mentioned, yes. And she'll make sure everyone's aware of what you two are doing, no doubt."

Cedric smiled, "Solidarity and all that." He became more serious, "But I would marry her, Mr. Hayworth. Not that you're worried that she won't be taken care of, but I will."

Raymond clapped his hand on Cedric's broad shoulder, squeezing it lightly, "Good man, Cedric," was the only thing he could think to say. His daughter may be 22 and he may not have seen her for three years and she may have been living on her own and working, but this made him feel as though he really had lost his baby girl. She really was all grown up.

-8383-

Ginny grinned mischievously at him, "Why don't we get out of here? One last, quick time in the common room and then off to the Manor -"

Harry looked around nervously, "Your brothers would slaughter me."

Ginny bit her lip to keep from laughing, "No one will come in, I promise. And we'll leave straightaway for three days of shag -"

"Ginny!"

She laughed, kissing his cheek before patting it affectionately, "Oh, Harry, darling, don't be such a

prude!"

-8383-

"I knew you had a large family, love, but die Scheiße! It still surprised me a bit," Heidi smiled affectionately at him, "and your mum was lovely, no reason to make me so nervous."

"I thought she - or the twins - would scare you off," he mumbled.

"Charles, they were all perfectly wonderful, you really didn't have anything to worry about," she smiled slyly, "it's going to take a but more to frighten me off, you know."

-8383-

Teddy wrapped his chubby arms tightly around Cedric's neck, gurgling happily, his hair it's usual spiky turquoise, as Tonks bit back a laugh. "Sorry, Diggory, but he's been watching you two and pointing at you for a while."

"It's all right, Teddy just wanted to see his favorite Uncle, didn't he?" He tickled his stomach, "You did a good job with that ring, mate. Made sure Ron didn't lose it."

Teddy looked around, saw his mum, Cedric and Adelaide laughing and joined in, covering his eyes with his chubby, little hands. "We got him, Tonks, if you want a drink or a dance or something."

She smiled gratefully, "Thanks you lot," before kissing her son's cheek quickly. "He won't even miss me."

Cedric bounced Teddy and winked at Adelaide, "So, Charlie and Heidi, eh? What do you think?"

She rolled her eyes, using her champagne flute to gesture slightly, "You're teasing is infuriating."

He held Teddy up to her face and chuckled as the boy popped his fingers from his mouth and planted a large, wet kiss on her cheek forcing a laugh from her. "No fair using the baby."

"Well, I think she's wonderful - will put Charlie in his place."

She scoffed slightly, "You only like her because she admires your work."

He smirked, "Don't look now, but Krum is chatting up Luna."

Adelaide's jaw nearly dropped when she peeked around Cedric's shoulder, "There have been odder pairings," she mumbled.

Ron came over slung his arm around her and ruffled Teddy's hair, "All right?" He nodded at Krum and Luna, "Bit odd, right? Hermione's a bit peeved that he could find something to talk about with Luna," his eyes sparkled, "but I think she's a bit drunk and Fred's only encouraging her."

Cedric laughed, "Luna's a very interesting girl."

"No doubt asking Krum if she can visit him on holiday and search for smufflespurts or what not." He snorted and turned back to Adelaide, "Hey, anyone here you could introduce me to - or someone I could tell mum I have a date with? She's been nagging me all bloody day."

"What happened to Margo?"

Ron snorted again, "Been chatting up _Perce_ all night. That's the last time I ask _Ginny_ for help."

Adelaide looked around for a moment, "I know Victoria is here somewhere."

Cedric raised his eyebrows, "How do you know her?"

She smirked, "She was a Healer - came round to my room the first time I was in. Very friendly, very nice. Came and visited a few times my second stay - and her sister is on the Harpies with Ginny."

"A sister?"

Adelaide patted Ron's arm, "Your not her type, Ronnie. But I think your very much Victoria's type."

Ron's eyebrows knitted together for a moment before it hit him, "Oh, yes, yes, of course."

"They're American - but went to Beauxbatons their last years," she was still searching around the hall for her. "Oh, there she is! Victoria!" See waved at the young brunette who walked over with a grateful smile.

"Merlin, thank you. Stacy made me be her wingman, and well," she gestured towards the two women, "she really didn't need me anymore."

Adelaide smiled, "Victoria, this is -"

The girl grinned and held her hand out, "Ron Weasley," a slight blush creeped across her cheeks, "there isn't any one in England who doesn't know who you are."

Ron rubbed the back of his neck, "Not everyone," he shook his head, "very lovely to meet you. Adelaide says your a Healer?"

Adelaide and Cedric watched as Ron led her to the bar and Cedric smirked at her, "Well done cupid."

She shrugged, "I've been thinking about introducing them for a while."

Teddy gurgled again and clapped his hands. Cedric clucked him under the chin, "Your Aunt Addie is much too silly, Teddy."

-8383-

Molly leaned against her husband as they sat at a table watching nearly all of their children dancing. "They're all grown up. Adults," she said softly.

"Adults who will still come for lunches and picnics and Quidditch," Arthur kissed her temple.

She sighed, "They're happy at least; getting married, just starting to date," she smiled, "even _Charlie_. And I saw Ron and Percy talking with those nice girls." She paused, "And they're moving in together too."

Arthur, caught off guard, coughed, trying to avoid the accusatory glare he knew was bound to come. "You really didn't think I didn't know, did you?"

"I – um,"

She waved a hand, "I can't stop them, can I? And I know Hermione and Fred are going to get married soon enough." She settled back against her husband. "You really never were very good at keeping secrets from me, Arthur darling."

-8383-

A/N: Cute little chapter, no? I was going to have Hermione propose to Fred, but I think I'll save that bit. Next chapter I think will be a little 7th interlude, a little glimpse into the "lost" year. I just started writing it, so we'll see….Please review!


	24. Interlude: Seventh Year

A/N: Here is the long-awaited missing 7th year! I hope everyone likes it and it lived up to everyone's expectations? I really did try to make sure that everything in this chapter lined up with things in previous chapters, so….

Also, I apologize for the lack of breaks in previous chapters – they had worked at first, but I feel like is always changing and so now they don't work and I'm much much much too lazy to go back through and add them in where they need to be…..

And I apologize that this chapter is soooo long, but I didn't feel like breaking up their 7th year since it's coming so late in the game….

Please please please review!

-88-

_**Interlude: 7**__**th**__** Year**_

Adelaide hugged her parents swiftly, excited and anxious to board the Hogwarts Express for the last time. Grinning at her brothers and Cedric, they led the remaining Weasleys, Harry and Hermione on to the train. She spotted Cymbelia and Norah immediately; Norah was attached to Ewan's hip like she always seemed to be but Cymbelia flung her arms around Adelaide and grinned at Cedric. "I hear you made Head Boy, Diggory. Well done."

Cedric grinned, "Thanks, Cymbelia," he saw his Hufflepuff friends behind her, "Oi! Cook!" He nodded at them, "I'll see you Ravenclaws later, yea?"

Adelaide, her brothers and the other 7th year Ravenclaws (and Ewan) all cramped in to one compartment to catch up and project their excitement for their upcoming last year.

The World Cup scare and its implications were never mentioned.

-88-

Neil frowned at his eggs, "I hate that we're so much younger than everyone else."

Adelaide rolled her eyes: she had listened to Neil grumble about the age restriction for only a few hours but she knew it was only bound to get worse when their friends started to submit their names. "Neil, let's be real, you were never going to get it anyway."

"I could have," he whined, "I could have been a champion!" He pushed his food around, his head resting dejectedly on his hand.

"Oh, cut it out, Neil," Jack grumbled as Flitwick waddled over to hand them their schedules, "you have more important things to worry about. Like classes."

"And the lack of Quidditch," Neil grumbled again. "How am I supposed to get scouted when I can't play this year?"

His siblings ignored him as they poured over their schedules. Adelaide beamed, "Double Potions, DADA and Ruins today."

Jack chuckled, "Diving right back in I see."

Adelaide grinned and with a renewed vigor, finished her breakfast.

-88-

"Jack!" Adelaide smacked him up the side the head, "Would you stop staring at them? You're scaring me."

Jack blushed, "Neil's staring too."

Adelaide reached across the table and smacked his arm, "You too, Neil."

Cymbelia rolled her eyes, "At least talk to them, yea? Staring is just creepy."

Jack and Neil looked at each other before Neil, grinning, got up and moved down the end of the table and immediately striking up a conversation with a few of the students. Cymbelia quirked an eyebrow, "Jack?"

He blushed again, "I'm all right, thanks," he mumbled before shoveling food in his mouth.

Adelaide and Cymbelia shared a look and began to discuss their newest professor, the famous and infamous auror Mad-Eye Moody when one of the younger years said loudly, "Someone's putting their name in the goblet!" They turned and to Adelaide's utter surprise, Cedric was dropping a slip of paper into the goblet and watched as it was consumed by the blue flames.

"Did you know he was entering?" Jack whispered.

She shook her head, "No," she said, her mouth suddenly dry, "I mean, I barely saw him today, only in DADA -" she tried to reason.

"Well, he is Head Boy. It would look rather odd if he didn't submit his name," Cymbelia said carefully. She didn't truly understand why Adelaide was reacting the way she was: they were best friends, but had she expected him to run it by her first or something?

Adelaide's eyes followed Cedric as he walked back to his table to the cheers of his fellow housemates, her mind completely blank.

-88-

She didn't get to confront Cedric that evening: he was preoccupied with his Head duties. And she hadn't wanted to discuss it with him in front of all of his friends, so it wasn't until their Herbology class that afternoon that she was even able to speak to him. But by that point she had had time to dwell and become more irritated with him.

"I saw you submit your name," she whispered as they waited for Professor Grubbly-Plank's instructions. Her irritation and passive-aggressiveness was lost on him, however.

"Yea. Figured since I'm Head Boy and all, think I have a good shot. Could be fun."

That had been the wrong thing to say. "Fun?" She hissed, "Cedric, it's dangerous!"

"Yes, I'm well aware -"

"And why didn't you tell me you were going to? I'm your bloody best friend."

"Ms. Hayworth, did you have a question?"

Adelaide managed not to blush, "No, Professor."

They slipped on their gloves and when Grubbly-Plank was out of earshot Cedric said delicately, "Because I knew you'd try to convince me not to do it. He looked at her with an odd expression that Adelaide could not read. "And I knew I'd listen." He turned back to the empty pot, glad that today's lesson did not require a partner.

-88-

Adelaide and Cedric didn't speak again until that weekend when a visibly irritated Cymbelia and Neil both snapped at her almost simultaneously.

"Seriously, Adelaide, if you don't shut up about this -"

"Merlin's beard would you just take your head out of your arse -"

She scoffed, "Oh, please, I hardly go on about -"

"Why didn't Ceddie-poo tell me," Neil mocked her, fluttering his eyelashes.

"I'm his best friend, why couldn't he confide in me," Cymbelia laughed at Neil.

Adelaide frowned, "I do not talk like that!"

Neil and Cymbelia gave each other a look and both stood up to sit somewhere else at their table. They were not dealing with her until she made up with Cedric.

Had she been obsessing? The lack of organized Quidditch and her thus-far easy workload had permitted a bit of free time - and she hadn't exactly bothered to befriend many of the visiting students, although she had noticed Krum's friend's eyes on her recently...

Sighing, she stood up, admitting defeat. She should apologize to Cedric. She needed to. When she reached the Hufflepuff table Cook nearly let out a cheer, "Thank Merlin, he was driving us crazy!" before sliding down the bench so she could sit down.

"Sorry I got so upset," she watched him closely but he merely continued to push his food around. "I shouldn't have gotten so cross and angry with you. It's your decision and I had no say in the matter."

"I would have told you, Adelaide. But it was something I needed to do. I want to be in the tournament. But I knew you'd make me stop and think about it, weigh the pros and cons," he smirked slightly. "Would have taken the adventure out for one thing."

Adelaide forced a smile on her face, "So we're okay?"

"We're okay."

-88-

"I mean there as good as Slytherins," Cho scoffed to one of her yearmates.

Jack followed her gaze, "Ah, Jessie and Mia?"

Leanne nodded and the other 7th years turned to watch Mia laugh "daintily" at something one of the Durmstrang boys said. "They all even look the same."

Neil smirked, "I saw Krum leave the library rather late last night."

"They can complete homework assignments," Alec rolled his eyes and Cho let out a faint giggle.

"But I mean, one of those boys will be the Durmstrang Champion," Cymbelia stuck out her tongue in disgust, "it's just, well, they're practically traitors."

Adelaide rolled her eyes, "At least they aren't at our table, yea?"

-88-

She watched as Cedric rise from his seat, grinning wildly, to the cheers from his House, the applause from his teachers and the few from his friends in the other Houses. She attempted a weak clap: how could she be happy for him? Yes, it was impressive and exciting that he was Hogwarts Champion, but he was also putting himself in danger. And for what? A moment of glory? She knew she'd have to be supportive and excited for him as soon as she saw him and for the rest of the year, but for now, she could worry.

Until Harry Potter's name was called out. She no longer was anxious for Cedric, but now for Harry Potter.

-88-

"You're Adelaide Hayworth, yes? Great Quidditch-player of Hogwarts?"

Adelaide felt instantly uncomfortable and slightly scared. The dark-haired and rather large Durmstrang boy who had been watching her had creeped from the shadows and was now standing very close to her. "Sorry, I'm afraid I don't know who you are."

His lip curled into a sinister sneer, "Ian."

"No last name?" she attempted to take a step back, but he took one step closer.

"I really want to see you fly. I hear you - how do you say, handle your broomstick very well?"

She had a sickening feeling in her stomach: this Ian's English was near perfect and yet he tried to seem more foreign? And there was something familiar about him... "I'm very busy, Ian, with classes -"

"Yes and being best friends with your Champion, no doubt. But I think you'll have much more fun with me, no?" His hand wrapped around her wrist, "My cousin told me so much about you."

And then it hit her. With a cold, sickening, horrible thud in her stomach. The eyes. The sneer. This was Callum's cousin. She tried to keep her voice strong and steady, but her foot hit the wall behind her. Where was everyone? Did everyone have class now?

"Oh, I don't think I'm acquainted with your cousin -" she tried to buy time. She couldn't hex him until he reached for his wand, but something told her he wouldn't bother with that. "But I really must be going, Ian. I have an assignment to finish -"

His foul breath filled up her nose, "I don't care about your -"

"Whitaker," Ian's chapped lips curled into another disgusting sneer. Adelaide could barely see Milton, Krum and a few other 7th year Slytherins behind them. "I think Hayworth said she had assignments to finish."

"No, we were just talking. Of Quidditch," he gave her a threatening glance that only angered her. She was about to open her mouth and foolishly, retort when Ian was wretched away from her. Krum had grabbed the boy's shoulder and yanked him on to the ground.

"Ian does not like Quidditch," Krum shrugged at her, "since he never made the team."

Milton nodded at her before threatening Ian, "Hayworth here has friends in a lot of places, Whitaker. If I were you, I'd stay clear of her. You don't want the entire school hating you, do you?"

Ian glared at her and said quietly, "You better watch out, Hayworth. When you're alone -" but Milton had punched him square in the jaw.

He shook his hand out and nodded at Adelaide, "You always manage to somehow cause trouble, don't you, Hayworth?" He quirked an eyebrow and stepped over Ian, his friends right behind him.

-88-

She was surprised to see anyone - especially Harry in the Great Hall that early on a Saturday. She, of course, had far too much work for all of her NEWT classes that she couldn't sleep past 7am. "Morning," she sat across from him, "you mind?" He merely shrugged, barely looking at her. She watched him poke his potatoes as she heaped some eggs and potatoes on her plate. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," he mumbled.

She took a good look at him: he looked rather awful. As though he hadn't slept for very long in days. "Worried about the Tournament?" She felt rather foolish since it was probably obvious that he was concerned about how he was going to survive the Tournament.

He shrugged, "First task's a ways off."

She frowned, "Then what?"

"Well for one, Ron's not speaking to me and I haven't had this many people hate me since - well, forever."

"No one hates you, Harry. They're just confused. Probably as confused as you about how your name got in the goblet." She frowned, "And Ron's not speaking to you?"

Harry visibly tensed at her tone. He didn't want to tattle on Ron, but he was more likely to listen to Adelaide than Hermione. "He, uh, thinks I put my name in on purpose. You know, since I can't handle not being famous and not being recognized. He hates being seen as a sidekick or something."

"Why that pigheaded, ridiculous, bloody prat," she gritted her teeth. "Has Hermione tried to -"

"Won't listen to me or her."

Adelaide shoved a potato in her mouth and chewed forcefully, "I'll speak with him, don't worry. Put him in his place." She took a deep breath, "What else is on your mind?"

She watched him fidget slightly, "Well, the Slytherins have been bothering me, of course, but, well, the Hufflepuffs." He frowned, "Diggory doesn't hate me, does he?"

She grimaced, "I had noticed he's not done much to deter his House. And that he's been ignoring you." She nodded, "I'll speak with him too. I may not be Hermione, but I think I can get him and Rn to get their heads out of their arses." She smiled at him, "We're all rooting for you, Harry." He attempted a smile in return. She didn't think it necessary to tell Harry they were rooting for him to survive."

-88-

"He's really grown up."

Adelaide didn't bother to even acknowledge Neil as he took the chair next to her. "And now that he's Head Boy AND Champion, to boot," he let out a very low whistle. "His fan club has gotten bigger. And a few older, more suitable members have joined."

"I'm trying to finish this essay, Neil, if you don't mind?"

"I mean you must have noticed. At the pond? Those abs, those arms," Neil smirked as he watched her cheeks pink slightly. "He's all man now. A but shy of course. But that'll change sooner or later. And that gorgeous hair and those eyes and that smile - "

"Neil, what is it exactly that you wanted?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," he said innocently, "oh, look there he is - with that Beauxbaton girl - what's her name? Marion?" He chuckled, "Yes, he's very uncomfortable with her, flirting and all that," he stopped for a moment, pretending to read his text book. "But you've noticed all this, of course, being best friends and all that. And Merlin, what a best friend to have!"

"That's it!" She hissed, rolling up her parchment hastily and shoving everything into her bag. "You are absolutely insane!" And with a stomp, she huffed off and out of the library, unaware that everyone was watching her.

-88-

She was flying around the pitch, cursing under her breath, but he could still make out 'Neil' and 'wanker'. Shaking his head, he pulled his yellow-and-black scarf tighter and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Oi, Hayworth."

He laughed as she turned, startled before landing in front of him. "Yea?" She had meant it to sound irritated, but she was too out of breath.

He smiled slightly, his hair whipping in the wind, "What in Merlin's name are you doing out here?"

She licked her suddenly dry lips; damn Neil and damn his ridiculously overactive imagination, "Flying."

He laughed and slung his arm around her shoulders guiding her back to the castle. "It's freezing." He frowned and pulled her tighter against him, "You're freezing."

"Cedric, I'm fine!"

He frowned, "All right, all right, Addie. Merlin, what did I do?"

"N-nothing. It was just bloody stupid, Neil."

Cedric rolled his eyes, "It always is."

She sneaked a glance in his direction before quickly turning back to the ground. She was going to kill Neil for planting such a ridiculous idea in her head. Snog Cedric! He was here best friend!

"A bloody attractive best friend with the body of a man who is clearly and obviously smitten with you."

Bloody Neil.

-88-

Cedric glanced up from his parchment with the odd feeling that someone was watching him and it wasn't the usual younger student staring at him, it felt like something much more sinister. He looked around and saw one of the Durmstrang students watching his table. Which was odd: he hadn't seen Krum ever really interact with this particular boy, and he had certainly never spoken to him. Unless he was watching Adelaide?

He bristled slightly, his eyes narrowing on the boy before her mentally shook himself and turned back to his work. It wasn't as though boy hadn't stared at Adelaide before, been fascinated or intrigued by her. He didn't have a problem with it, of course. Why should he? She didn't need protecting. She could interact with whom ever she wanted. But this boy.

Adelaide closed her book, "Promised Fred I'd look at his potions - it's a miracle he's still in it," she whispered, the pride still evident in her tone. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He merely nodded his mind still whirring as he watched the boy attempt to covertly watch her leave. He watched the boy stand up to walk out when Milton, the Slytherin Adelaide was acquainted with, roughly pushed the boys' shoulder, forcing him loudly back into his chair. Milton caught Cedric and headed over, to his table as Cedric attempted to play it cool as George would say.

"She didn't tell you, did she?"

Cedric was surprised to see Milton occupying the chair across from him. And without a typical Slytherin sneer. "Pardon?"

"Hayworth didn't tell you about her run-in with Ian Whitaker?"

Cedric racked his brain, "No. Is that guy," he raised his eyebrows at the Durmstrang student, "Whitaker?"

Milton nodded, "He's that Callum bastard's cousin. Nearly threatened Adelaide . Told him the whole school would hunt him down if he tried something. She wasn't scared of course. Krum's keeping an eye on him too. No one's real fond of Whitaker."

Cedric couldn't process how bizarre and friendly and protective Milton sounded of Adelaide because he was so incredibly furious. He thought this Callum shit was done. He thought people wanting to hurt her was done. This was her last year she was supposed to have fun, not watch her back for potentially psychotic and harmful gits.

"Just figured, since your Head Boy and all -"

Cedric nodded at Milton, "Right. Thanks, mate. Appreciate it."

Milton nodded once and got up from the table as Cedric, out of the corner of his eye, watched Whitaker.

One wrong move and this kid was going to wish he never left Durmstrang.

-88-

"Dragons," he said breathlessly, pulling her into an empty classroom.

She shook her head as though trying to clear it, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Potter said the first task is dragons," his face was void of his usual fading-summer's tan, his eyes wide.

Adelaide took a deep breath, trying to remain clam for his sake. "Okay, how does Harry know for sure?"

"Hagrid showed him. Said Krum and Fleur know too."

She didn't know why, but it perturbed her that he had called the beautiful Beaubaxtons Champion by her first name. "Well, now everyone's on an equal playing field, I suppose," she searched his face for a moment. "Dumbledore would never let something dangerous -" she licked her lips, "it will all be safe. There will be professors and regulators and others to prevent anything -"

He nodded, "You're right, you're right," he ran a hand through his still sun-bleached brown hair. "I just panicked. Potter just told me and I saw you -" he frowned. "Sorry."

She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't be foolish. You'll be fine," she smiled, "you'll do great."

"You'll help me prepare?"

He looked so hopeful that even if they hadn't been best friends she couldn't have refused those golden-hazel eyes.

-888-

She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. "I should go see him," she looked at Cymbelia, her eyes wide, "right? They'll let me in the tent?"

Cymbelia patted her arm consolingly, "They won't let you in. You saw him at breakfast and you'll see him after."

"He's fine," Neil slung his arm around her shoulders, "he'll be all right. You'll only make him more anxious, Miss Fidgety."

She nodded frantically, "Right, right, course. I'll see him after." She clapped her gloved hands together before pulling her outrageously large and bright blue knit hat that Norah had made for her last Christmas further down her head, her eyes scanning the terrain again. "That's Hermione! Look, she's going in the tent –"

"Addie," Jack warned from the stand above her, "you can sneak in once he's done. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Diggory will give you permission."

She nodded, "Course, course," bouncing on her feet again, unaware of the looks her brothers and Cymbelia shared over her shoulders.

Fred and George waved to them from a few rows down but Adelaide didn't see them. She stared at the roar of a not so distant dragon.

"Hey, isn't that –" Jack pointed to a redhead who was talking quickly to one of the regulators before walking off again.

"Charlie?" Adelaide's voice was unnaturally high. "What's he doing here? Why didn't he –"

But her slight tirade was cut short when the announcer called Cedric's name and the dragon he was facing. Adelaide gripped Neil's hand, her other hand balled in a fist at her side, her eyes wide as she watched the Swedish Short-Snout take its place rather serenely before Cedric emerged from the tent, his head held high and his wan already raised. It was really happening.

"The Swedish Short-Snout's not so bad, he can do it," Jack assured everyone.

She didn't hear one word Mr. Bagman said; she was too focused on Cedric. She watched, feeling completely helpless as Cedric transfigured one of the rocks into a perfect large, yellow dog, glad he had been working on his Transfiguring lately. The cheers of her friends as the dragon followed the dog sounded muffled to her as she watched Cedric. Why wasn't he running faster? And then, there was a collective gasp that rang horribly in her ears: the dragon's attention turned back to Cedric. She reared her head with an ear-piercing roar. Cedric's hex went wide of the thrashing dragon. He was so close to the eggs, now dodging the dragon's fire. Adelaide stopped breathing, her heart beating wildly, her fingers gripping Neil's painfully. They watched as Cedric's hands closed around the gleaming, golden egg, but not before the flames licked his face. Clutching the egg under one arm, he leapt out of the oncoming flames, throwing his sleeve against the side of his face.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. A horn sounded and the dragon was wrangled up, cheering and wild applause from the stands as Cedric, the left side of his face visibly red and raw, waved quickly before being approached by several adults. Adelaide lost sight of him as he was led off towards the Champion's tent.

Neil shook her, "He did it! Nothing a quick salve from Poppy can't fix! Look! He got pretty good scores I'd say. Well, Durmstrang's a bit biased –"

She nodded vigorously, "Right, right, he's alive, he's fine, he did it!" She managed a quick smile, "I'm off," before racing down the stands.

Jack laughed at his sister's antics, but Neil only smirked.

Adelaide tried not to seem too distraught or desperate, "But I'm practically family!"

The man shook his head, "Sorry, miss."

Her eyes flashed dangerously, "I saw Hermione Granger walk in here earlier! Now let me in, or –"

A slightly frazzled and eccentric looking blonde woman nearly fell out of the tent flap before adjusting her skirt and jacket. "How utterly inconsiderate, pushing a journalist –" Adelaide used the man's momentarily lax attention to slip into the tent, her eyes quickly scanning for any of the Diggorys. She saw a serene Krum and an extremely pale Harry. She nodded at both, offered a quick 'good luck' and flashed Harry a smile before spotting a few cots, one of which had a screen pulled around it.

She peeked her head in quickly to find a grinning Cedric, his face being tended by Madam Pomfrey, a beaming Amos and a worried Laura. "Miss Hayworth, I must as you to leave," Pomfrey sighed exasperatedly but Cedric grinned.

"Addie! Come in! Come in! Honestly, this screen is unnecessary, I'm fine."

"That's the excess adrenaline, Mr. Diggory, you're going to be exhausted later."

Mr. and Mrs. Diggory made room for Adelaide who still didn't say anything as she stared at Cedric, her face unreadable. When Fleur stumbled back, Pomfrey left to tend to her. Some moments later, assured of their son's status and their congratulations and their 'well dones', they too excused themselves.

Cedric grinned at her for a moment before he faltered when she still hadn't said something, "Well?"

"You're alive," she said quietly.

"That's all?" He turned his head, "How's it looking?"

"Not as red. Poppy said to put more on later. Just don't forget."

He frowned, "Won't you say anything? Did I do that bad?"

She cocked her head slightly, "You're Transfiguration was perfect."

"Too bad she wasn't that interested." Adelaide sat on the edge of the bed by his legs as he adjusted himself slightly against the headboard. "Were you scared?"

He watched her for a moment, his deep hazel eyes flickering across her downturned eyes to her fingers that were tracing shapes on the bed sheets. "I didn't really have time to think about being scared. I just needed to do it quick."

She nodded, "You did really well, Ceddie," she said softly as she looked back up at him, her pale grey eyes meeting his, a slight smile on her lips. He leaned his body closer to hers, reaching out to brush some of her hair away from her face when Harry, Hermione, Ron and Mrs. and Mr. Weasley raced through the tent.

-88-

Charlie was waiting near the doors to the castle for her, anxiously looking over the tops of the other students' heads. Where was she? Cedric wasn't too injured. Had he been? Ginny had given him a very large and very excited hug, chattering away quickly about how she hoped someone would ask her to the upcoming Yule Ball. The twins both snuck up on him, but seeing his slightly anxious state, still failed in their attempt to put his nerves at ease when Fred blurted out, "Yea, she probably will be mad." Neil and Jack both grinned broadly when they saw him, reintroducing him to Cymbelia and Alec. Jack said casually that Adelaide was walking up – slowly – with Cedric. He could feel Neil's eyes on him and he shifted uncomfortably.

Sure enough, Adelaide was helping a fairly-decent-looking and grinning Cedric up the slight hill to the castle. "Afternoon, Charlie!" Cedric sounded awfully cheerful for someone who had just faced a dragon.

"Cedric, well done," he nodded at him before saying sheepishly, "wish I could have told you it'd be dragons. But cheating and all that."

"I would have been angry if you had Charlie," he waved a hand, "no worries."

Charlie's gaze shifted slightly to Adelaide, his stomach tightening when he saw the anger in her eyes and her cold, icy demeanor. His stomach clenched as he watched Cedric's eyes flit briefly and longingly to her and noticed how close they were standing, how he leaned slightly on her, his arm around her waist. "Adelaide," he said pleadingly.

"Hullo, Charlie. I'm sorry, we've got to get inside," Charlie made to follow them, but Adelaide said icily, "Ron, Harry and Hermione are right behind us -"

"I'll see them inside." He followed them inside, thankful when Cedric, obviously aware of the tension, said, "he could make it to the Great Hall fine on his own.

"Adelaide, I'm sorry, I wanted to write you -"

"They all knew anyway," she hissed. "At least Harry had the decency to tell Cedric so he didn't die."

"Adelaide," he tried to stay calm but she was being completely irrational, "You know I couldn't have said anything."

"You could have written you were in town. I could have visited," she looked over his shoulder her eyes just softening slightly.

"So you could have figured out I was here for the tournament? Addie, I wasn't allowed to contact anyone. Not even mum."

"I never get to see you, Charlie," her eyes flickered to his briefly before they hardened again. "Nothing. Not a note, nothing. Not for me or for Cedric."

"Adelaide, I wanted to, I wanted to see you. Truly, I did," he pleaded, but he could see she was too angry at him, still obviously worried about Cedric. He knew she was about to storm off. She was too furious to continue arguing and she'd want to appear normal in front of her friends. In front of Cedric. He tried one more, one desperate plea to make her see: "You never wrote me! I doubted you even remembered me sometimes."

She blanched, "Charlie, Merlin, how old are you? You never write me either! We're both too busy!" She crossed her arms frowning, "You've never liked Cedric - you didn't care if he got hurt!" She watched his face fall, as he opened his mouth, about to argue. "I don't want to talk to you. At least for a while."

He sighed, his shoulders slumping, "If that's what you want."

He knew then that he would let her storm off. It was the right thing to do. He was never there; he wasn't around for her. And he obviously had some romantic feelings for her if this summer and today were anything to go by. He would let her go today, to go be with Cedric. She may not need Cedric, but he would be good for her.

So when she shook her head and said quietly, "I can't believe you, Charlie," he let her walk through the open doors of the Great Hall. He watched her ruffle Cedric's hair as she stood behind him for a moment before sitting with her fellow Ravenclaws. He watched Cedric glance up at her frequently from across the two tables. He didn't follow her. He talked briefly to Ron, Hermione and Harry, congratulating the young boy on a great job before walking out of the castle and back to his dragons, unaware of the hurt look that followed him.

-88-

Cymbelia nearly slammed the door of the common room shut, trudging through the room, nearly throwing herself on the couch. "Merlin, those bloody Durmstrang boys are bloody creepy and bloody persistent."

Jack frowned, "What happened?"

She shrugged, "Wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. I'd rather go alone than go with that Durmstrang boy."

Jack scratched his ear, "You, uh, want to go with me?" He coughed and rubbed his neck, "As friends, of course."

She grinned, "Well of course I would, Jack!"

-88-

"There goes another one," Neil chuckled and Cymbelia rolled her eyes.

"You'd think he'd just figure out that if he asked someone he'd be left alone."

Adelaide laughed, "But it's so much fun to watch him suffer!"

"Who are you going to go with?"

Adelaide shrugged, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice, "Probably not anyone. Don't want to ruin someone's night if there's a bird they want to take."

"How very noble of you," Jack rolled his eyes.

"What about you, Neil?"

Neil shrugged, too engrossed in the pink-faced Cedric who was trying to get away from the 6th year Gryffindor. "Don't know. Not too worried. Might be fun to go stag."

-88-

Adelaide could feel his eyes on her back as she walked through the crowded hall. She could almost feel his hatred for her radiate off his person. He hadn't bothered her since Milton and the others had threatened him, but when the halls were crowded like this, she would sometimes find him following or watching her.

She could feel him approaching her more quickly when Cedric nearly ran into her and pulled her into one of the empty classrooms.

-88-

"Addie," he begged as he attempted to keep the classroom door shut as various calls of 'Cedric! Take me to the dance!' came from several girls on the other side. "You're not going with anyone yet, are you?" His hazel eyes were wide and pleading with her,

"Please, please, Addie?"

She sat down causally on a desk, wanting to see how long she could tease him until he snapped. A furious Head Boy would be a very funny sight. "I don't know, Cedric. I mean, you only want to go with me to protect you. The twins or Ron or even Milton would actually want to go with me."

His jaw dropped as she cocked an eyebrow and tried not to smirk. "No, Adelaide, of course I want to go with you!" He was visibly upset and Adelaide's composed face faltered slightly. "Who else would I want to go with? I was going to ask you - a bit more properly but, well, this happened."

She tried to hide a small smile, "But Cedric, really! You're the most eligible - the - well, all the girls love you, don't they? Wouldn't you rather go with one of them? Someone who looks better in a dress?"

Cedric scoffed, "Addie, please. I've seen you in a dress - not a proper one for a ball, but you look great in a dress!" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I mean, of course I want to go with you. All those other girls are nutters!"

-88-

News of Adelaide and Cedric going to the Ball together traveled swiftly through the school and the next morning Adelaide squirmed, slightly uncomfortable at the large number of jealous, angry eyes on her. Is this how Harry always felt? Neil smirked at her, "How's it feel to have every girl at Hogwarts - and Beauxbatons - be insanely jealous of you?"

Adelaide laughed, "Please. They can't be cross at me, can they? It's just a dance."

"And you're going with the outrageously handsome Hogwarts Champion."

She laughed again, "Just utterly ridiculous. I mean it's me! Not Fleur or any of her gorgeous friends!"

Ginny sat down next to her smirking slightly, "So, you and Cedric?"

"Not you too!"

Ginny laughed, "All the Gryffindor girls even the first years, are talking about it."

Adelaide laughed, "They don't think a tomboy should be going - "

Cedric sat down across from them, "Merlin, everyone's left me alone only to glare at you."

Ginny scoffed, "That's not what they're saying, Adelaide," she rolled her eyes, not even bothering to explain that all the girls knew they didn't stand a chance.

Neil grinned at Ginny, "So, Gin, anyone ask you?"

"Yea, Ron taking Hermione and Potter taking you?"

She frowned slightly, "Ah, no. Hermione's going with Krum -"

"Really?"

"Get out!"

She grinned, "He's been talking to her in the library. Ron and Harry just asked the Patil twins." She tried to maintain a unaffected face, but they all saw through it.

"Want to go with me?" Neil grinned at her skeptical face. "No funny business, I promise. Just as friends and all that jazz."

She nodded, a grin slowly spreading across her face, "Yea, all right," she winked at him, "and your welcome."

-88-

Adelaide was not looking forward to that morning's Hogsmeade trip: Cymeblia and Norah had forced her to promise she would go dress shopping with them. And Ginny and Hermione wanted to go too. Why couldn't she just wear nice robes like the boys? Why did she need to wear a bloody dress?

She frowned at her oatmeal and ignored Neil's snigger. "Oh, dear sister, it won't be that bad!"

She continued to ignore him and when Alec sat down she asked how it went asking Cho to the ball. He blushed slightly, "Well, I was looking for her and you know Fleur?"

Jack's mouth dropped, "You're going with Fleur?"

Alec blushed a bit harder, "She found that Gryffindor, Chauncey, snogging some other girl and well, we've talked a few times, you know. Got along and all, so she asked me, not really expecting me to be, well, dateless."

Neil was beaming, "Alec, look at you! Taking the Beauxbatons Champion and an extremely gorgeous girl at that!"

Adelaide opened her mouth to congratulate and tease him when the part Veela herself walked up to them and asked politely to sit down. Her clear blue eyes flitted across their faces quickly before holding out her hand to Cymbelia who was directly across from her, "Bonjour! Je suis Fleur Delacour, tres content de vous rencontrer."

"I-I'm Cymbelia, wonderful to meet you too."

"Neil Hayworth," he grinned charmingly, "sorry to hear about Chauncey."

She waved a delicate hand, "C'est bien. He's, how do you say in English? A prick." She stared at Neil for a moment before her eyes darted to Jack and then to Adelaide, a small smile growing slowly on her near-perfect face, "Evidemment! The Hayworth triplets! Oui oui! It makes sense now! You do all resemble one another," she shook Adelaide's hand, "you're Adelaide, Cedric's date, no?"

Adelaide smiled, "Yes, I am." She decided then that she absolutely loved the way her name sounded in a French accent.

"Jack," he shook her hand, "lovely to meet you. Well done with the first task. Shame about the other eggs though."

She shrugged slightly, her platinum blonde hair whipping around her head, "Ce qui sera sera." She smiled prettily at Adelaide and Cymbelia, "Do you have dresses yet?"

"No, we're actually going in to Hogsmeade today."

Fleur clapped her hands, positively beaming, "Fantastique! I will see you there, no? Help everyone, no?" She kissed Alec on the cheek quickly and waved goodbye to everyone before she seemingly floated out of the Great Hall.

"Well done," Neil winked at Alec.

-88-

Adelaide fought back a groan as Cymbelia grabbed her arm and dragged her into the store. She blanched as she watched Ginny, smiling, happily begin to sift through a rack of dresses. "Gin?" she asked in disbelief.

She laughed at Adelaide's expression, "I finally get to buy a new dress! Of course I'm excited!"

Adelaide swallowed hard and went to a rack of dresses that had fewer frills and lace and other ridiculous add-ons. If Ginny was excited, she had a feeling this day was going to be excruciatingly long.

Ginny brought seven dresses in to the fitting room with her, Norah and Cymbelia 8, Hermione a measly four and Adelaide only brought in two. When they called for her to show them what she had on, she frowned. They wanted her to fashion them off? And they expected her to comment on every, single one of their dresses? Adelaide ran her hands through her hair. A very long day indeed.

-88-

Thankfully, the second dress she tried on was deemed by all to be 'wonderful' and Adelaide only had to suffer through what felt like thousands of different dresses. When Hermione finally found a "perfect" dress, Cymbelia, sick of Adelaide's constant sighs and shrugs gave her permission to leave. Hermione offered to stay with Ginny, although she rolled her eyes and smiled at Adelaide. Adelaide was walking out the door when Fleur and a few of the Beaubaxton girls walked in. "Oh, leaving so soon, Adelaide?"

Adelaide smiled and pretended to be sad, "I know, but I found my dress and I promised I'd meet up for drinks -"

"With Cedric? Oh, of course, I'll see you later, no?" She kissed Adelaide on both cheeks and floated into the store.

Shaking her head, she hurried over to The Three Broomsticks, hoping someone who wouldn't fawn over or even mention her dress was there. Thankfully, Cedric, the twins, Neil, Jack and Alec were all crowded around one table and the twins cheered when they saw her walk in. "Wittle Addie bought her first dress?"

She smacked Fred upside the head, "Quiet, you," she sat down in between George and Cedric and before the latter could protest, took two rather large gulps of his butterbeer.

"Oi!" he laughed, "where's everyone else?"

She groaned, "Still trying on bloody dresses. I only got to leave because I knew Cymbelia wouldn't tolerate me being a brat."

"Well, what's it look like?"

She frowned at Alec, "What are you, the bloody dress Aurors?"

Alec shrugged, "Mum likes to wear dresses and she likes her shoes."

She pouted slightly as she crossed her arms, "No, I didn't get shoes. I can probably Transfigure a pair."

Neil rolled his eyes and turned to Cedric, "Diggory, you're date is hopeless."

Cedric slung his arm around her shoulders, "Now, don't talk about my date like that! She saved me from certain disaster and I'm bloody well thankful."

Adelaide stuck her tongue out at her brother.

They all chatted and laughed for a while when George pointed out a "gaggle of very angry younger years" who were glaring hatefully at Adelaide. She only laughed, "Ridiculous."

-88-

Cedric had been acting weird all day: he was cranky and tense during breakfast, practically sulking and since DADA he had been jumpy and unfocused, nearly walking straight into several students and not paying attention to any conversations going on around him. That night, before dinner, Adelaide cornered him, "I know it's the last day of term, but what is going on with you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine, why do you ask?"

She crossed her arms, quirked an intimidating eyebrow and fixed a glare at him. "Cedric, you know patience is not a skill I readily possess."

He swallowed and averted his eyes quickly, "I was frustrated with this blasted egg."

"That's it?"

"And Professor Moody, well he acted very strangely. Told me I should, take a bath with it."

"With the egg?" Her eyebrows shot up.

"Yea. He was very odd about it, kept saying that he shouldn't have let it slip."

"Professor Moody."

He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know."

"A Professor gave you help."

"You're not helping, Adelaide."

She bit her lip, "Well, he is a well-respected Auror. An unconventional professor, course, but," she met his eyes, "can't hurt to try can it?"

His mouth dropped open briefly, "Yea, I guess." He hesitated, "Will you, will you come with me, in case something you know," he frowned, "I mean, I know he's an Auror and a Professor, but."

She smirked, "You want me to watch you take a bath?"

He stammered slightly, "No, I'd wear shorts and you could just stand off to the side, the prefects bathroom is really big."

She took his arm, patting it gently as they walked towards the prefects' bathroom. "You're much too easy."

-88-

"I've seen you in swimming trunks before," she whispered teasingly as he peered into the bathroom to make sure no one else was there.

"Yes, thank you, Addie," he straightened up and walked in, "I wanted to make sure no one was here already and got the wrong idea."

She didn't know why, but she blushed. She followed him in and sat on a chair as Cedric turned on the taps and took off his robes. She could hear Neil's voice in her head, "He's really grown up. Not really a boy anymore, is he? He's gorgeous," as she tried to tear her eyes away from him. But she couldn't. She had seen him in his swimming trunks before, many times, but she hadn't in months. It was as if he had only gotten leaner and more fit since August. If that had been possible. She didn't notice his slight blush when he noticed her staring at him.

"So, should I just bring the egg in with me?"

Her eyes darted up to his, "Yea - yea, I guess. Put it under water, I guess?"

A slight chill passed her overhead but she ignored it as Cedric lowered himself into the water. He grabbed the egg, holding it underwater, but nothing happened. He shrugged at Adelaide and taking a deep breath, dipped gracefully underwater.

When some time passed, Adelaide grew worried: she couldn't see under the water so she couldn't see if he was drowning or in trouble...she quickly tore off her robes and uniform until she was just in her undergarments and dove in knowing the tub was deep enough.

She immediately heard several eerie voices and saw a grinning Cedric. She grabbed his arm roughly and pulled him up, both of them sputtering. "You...bloody...prat," she heaved, wiping her face, "do you know how long you were down there?"

He was grinning like a fool, "Merpeople," he whispered, "in the lake! I'll have to manage to swim down there, you know, and bring something back that I would really miss," he shrugged. "I'll just find a way to breathe for an hour, maybe practice swimming again, ow!" She had smacked his arm. "I'm all right, aren't I?"

"I thought something came out of that egg and killed you or something, Merlin," she climbed out, completely forgetting that she was only wearing her navy panties and a grey bra. But Cedric noticed and he could not help but stare as she wiped her hair from her face, mumbling about his stupidity. She turned around, "Are you coming out or what?"

He swallowed, "Uh, there are towels in that cupboard why don't you grab one?" She walked the few steps and Cedric emerged quickly holding a strategically placed egg and grabbing the large, fluffy towel from her, thankful she was drying her face and not looking at him. He would have been mortified.

He dried quickly, eager to put his robes back on and hoping she would soon do the same. When she finally had her clothes back on they headed to the Great Hall, Cedric thanking her for going with him, the image of her in her underwear still plaguing his mind.

-88-

She was his best friend. He wasn't supposed to have these kinds of thoughts, these kinds of feelings for her. Of course he had always know how beautiful, how smart, how funny, how absolutely wonderful she was, but it was always in the friend sense. He had been angry at Wood for what he did to her as a best friend should. Same for Callum. And now for Whitaker. Same for Callum. And now for Whitaker. He wasn't being protective of her because he was jealous. He was protective of her the way a best friend should.

But he couldn't deny that something had changed. He didn't know when and he didn't know why, but something between was different. He looked forward to seeing her more than he ever used to and found himself missing her laugh, her voice and her mere presence more than he ever had before. He grew angry when he saw Whitaker staring at her and tense when other boys stared at her for too long.

But she was his best friend. His very first real friend. The girl who had helped him out of his shy shell. His loyal best he was developing feelings for her. Inappropriate, unhealthy feelings...

And who could he talk to about it? Her brothers? The twins? Ginny? His Housemates would all encourage him to 'go for it' or threaten to chase her themselves.

He sighed, rolling on to his side as he stared out of his bed curtains and out to the silver sliver of moon. He was in trouble.

-88-

The day before the Yule Ball, Adelaide looked warily at a blushing, visibly upset Alec. "Um, something wrong?"

Alec winced, "Fleur's a bit mad I can't dance."

Adelaide but back a laugh, "I'm sure that hardly matters -"

"The Champions have the first dance. In front of everyone." He blushed again, "It wasn't like I told her I could dance," he muttered, "could just use a spell or something."

Adelaide froze. They had to dance. Actually, physically dance. In front of everyone. Dancing was not something she did. It wasn't like they danced at Christmas with the Weasleys as a child. And in a dress no less? She turned in her seat, searching for Cedric, too horrified to be angry, when she saw him walk in, smile and wave at her. He frowned when he got closer. "You all right?"

"We have to dance."

He chuckled, sitting next to her, "Yea I told you that. But it's no big deal, I'm really good."

She sputtered, "You are?"

"Yea," he grinned, "mum taught me. She loves to dance. Muggle music too, like jazz -" he laughed and patted her arm, "just follow my lead and you'll be all right."

She nodded slowly before standing up and pulling him with her. "Practice," she muttered as she pulled him through the halls.

-88-

She threw her hands up and stepped away from him, "I can't dance! I'm awful!" She groaned and shook her head, "You should find a new date, I'll just embarrass you."

He laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him gracefully, placing his other hand on her hip and moving expertly to the music that was playing from the wireless they borrowed from Norah. She bit her lip in concentration, watching her feet. He laughed softly again and lifted her chin up, "Just let me lead, Addie, okay? Just follow me," he grinned, "feel the music."

She snorted, "Absurd." But she kept her eyes on his face, sticking her tongue at him.

"See? You're dancing," he twirled her gracefully before pulling her back in. "Just follow me tomorrow, and we'll be fine."

-88-

He fidgeted slightly as he waited in the Ravenclaw Common Room with Jack and Ewan, having already seen Neil and Alec leave to see their own dates. It wasn't that he was nervous; Merlin, he was actually surprisingly calm. Dancing with Adelaide in front of everyone was going to be easy. He was anxious to see Adelaide in a dress. Excited to see how she would handle being slightly out of her element.

What he was not prepared for however, was to have the wind knocked out of him when he saw her.

He doubted that anyone would truly believe that she was unattractive, but he knew that no one could even think it now. She looked absolutely, unbelievably gorgeous. She was concentrating very hard on her feet as she descended down the stairs and missed the look on Cedric's face. Adelaide would never have been called "curvy" (she preferred 'athletic' anyway), but this dress fit her perfectly and gave her body the curves her school uniform rarely could. It was long and snug in the right places, but ruched and bunched to the left. pulled into what Norah would later refer to as a 'goddess' style. It was sleeveless, exposing her muscular arms and shoulders.

As she walked into the light of the common room, the color of her dress caught Cedric's eye; it wasn't just a simple, gunmetal grey dress, but a combination of greys and deep, stormy blues that simultaneously looked like one color and multiple colors. His eyes slowly raked up her body, his deep, golden hazel eyes finally meeting her pale grey ones. They both grinned, "You clean up nicely, Diggory."

"You put us all to shame, Hayworth." He offered her his arm, "Milady?" She curtsied clumsily and as he bit back another grin as he admired her low, sideswept bun that was as effortlessly cool and simple as she was.

She leaned in and whispered as they walked out of the common room unconcerned about where Jack, Cymbelia, Norah and Ewan were, "Norah made me wear make up."

He looked at her slowly as they kept walking, "Well, I think she did a fine job."

She didn't want to, but when she walked into the Great Hall, seeing all the gorgeous girls, all their beautiful dresses, she felt inadequate. She felt everyone staring at her, as though they knew how out of place she felt in a dress and heels and make-up and her hair done. Cymbelia and Norah's compliments, she knew, were just what friends were supposed to say. But on the arm of the Hogwarts Champion, Head Boy, Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain, who looked so comfortable and confident in his dress robes, she felt ridiculous. She didn't like this feeling at all - she had never felt like this. But for the first time she felt out of her element. This wasn't something she could fix with her sharp tongue, a hex or a goal. Everyone could see how utterly foolish she looked.

"You all right?" Cedric's hand was on the small of her back, attempting to guide her when she had visibly tensed.

She turned her eyes towards him slowly, and he was surprised to see vulnerability. Adelaide was frightened. She tried to pull away slightly, "I don't want to embarrass you," she whispered when Cedric, having heard Dumbledore's brief welcome, pulled her towards him with the grace and confidence he had shown earlier in the empty classroom.

He smiled, unaware of the boyish charm he was exuding, "Adelaide, you could never embarrass me."

She opened her mouth, "But - but everyone's staring! They know I look ridiculous, I -"

He shook his head and pulled her closer to him, bending his neck to look into her eyes, "They're all staring because you look gorgeous," he smiled again and her heart unwillingly skipped a beat, "and they're all jealous."

-88-

She grinned at Cedric, when he handed her a pumpkin juice. She felt foolish; what did she care? Cedric was a terrible liar and he said he wasn't embarrassed -

"Diggory, who knew you were such a good dancer?" Neil smirked slyly at his sister, "And look at you, dear sister. My, don't we look nice?"

She punched his arm and grinned at Ginny: of course she looked magnificent. Even at 13.

They all waved to Jack and Cymbelia who were dancing and rolled their eyes at Norah and Ewan, the only actual couple when the twins bounded over.

"Dear -"

"Merlin, Hayworth!"

"You clean up -"

"Very well!"

"Nicely played."

"Diggory!"

She hit Fred up side the head and tried not to look scared when Cedric took her hand and brought her back to the dance floor.

She hated that she even thought it and she would vehemently deny it if questioned, but she liked dancing with Cedric. She felt safe and comfortable in his arms. And Merlin did the boy know his way around the dance floor. But he never let her feel foolish; he could make both of them look like professional dancers.

And did he have nice arms. She knew he did from Quidditch and she had seen them, but to feel them, right under her fingertips.

"You all right?"

She looked up to see him smiling charmingly down at her and her heart fluttered slightly. "Yes, yes of course," she smirked, "you really are an 'expert dancer'."

He shrugged his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "You really aren't half bad."

Silence again. It wasn't an awkward silence but it allowed Adelaide to think about her best friend in ways she didn't think were common or appropriate. Neil had been right in his observations of Cedric: he was gorgeous. How often did she find girls staring, fawning, whispering and nearly drooling over him? And yet he hardly ever noticed, or if he did he never cared. And here she was nearly drooling over him herself. Was she no better than second year Hufflepuff girls? Or was she finally appreciating what was always right in front of her?

She felt his hand tighter against the small of her back, bringing her closer to his body. Her grey eyes turned to his face as her stomach flipped, but he wasn't looking at her, but over her head. His face tightened and Adelaide was surprised to see the menace on his face: this was a side of Cedric one rarely saw.

He eventually calmed and looked down at her with a quick smile, with no explanation as to what had just occurred. "Well?" she tried not to think about his hand still firm on her back, her close proximity to his hard, gorgeous body.

"What?" He tried to play it off.

She rolled her eyes, "What was that about?"

His shifted away from her, "N-nothing, Adelaide," he attempted a chuckle, "I just don't want anyone dancing with my date, that's all." He was not about to tell her that Whitaker had watched them for what seemed like hours.

-88-

She and Cedric were so caught up in themselves that they barely noticed their friends: Harry and Ron sitting around and ignoring their dates; Fred and George goofing around with their dates; Ginny thoroughly enjoying herself thanks to Neil; Jack and Cymbelia attempting to avoid awkward situations; Hermione occasionally having to leave Krum; Alec attempting to keep up with Fleur.

Too soon the Ball was over and Cedric, a large grin on his face, began the walk with Adelaide back to Ravenclaw tower. When they ran into Harry, however, he asked Adelaide to wait one minute while he gave him the bath hint. "Figured he helped me, I should do the same."

Adelaide couldn't help but match his grin. "That was very honorable of you."

He shrugged, a charming and brilliant smile on his face, "That's why they put me in Hufflepuff."

-88-

She told herself she acted like this - like a lovesick puppy because it was the Yule Ball. Her headache when she woke up supported her 'theory' that there had to be something in the pumpkin juice. Why else had she and Cedric acted so strangely? He was Cedric.

And she was Adelaide.

Breakfast, after quickly teaming through her few gifts (the kids opted out of gist exchanging this year), was a relatively normal affair. The Yule Ball was barely mentioned except for a few of the younger students spreading the latest 'gossip'.

Adelaide didn't hear the gossip about her and Cedric, but it was being passed amongst the students. They were being called the 'handsomest' couple, being distinguished from other honorable' mentions Neil and Ginny and Alec and Fleur because they were both 7th year Hogwarts students. And, thanks to Cedric, the best dancers.

Neil winked at Ginny later that morning, telling her he hadn't forgotten their bet: he knew she and Cedric wouldn't admit their feelings until the Second Task. Ginny was sure they would sooner. The girl had a lot yet to learn.

-88-

"Are you still considering working at the Department of Mysteries?"

She watched Professor Snape's face, but he did nothing that hinted at his true feelings. "It's still one of my options, yes."

"There's nothing else you want to do? Auror? Potions Master? Quidditch?"

She frowned slightly, "I have thought of all those things and there are other options, of course. Why are you so keen on options?"

His black eyes bore into her grey ones, "I don't want you rushing into this career because Dumbledore suggested -"

"But you also supported it."

He frowned momentarily, his eyebrows knitted together. "Originally I did, yes. But I think you should still consider other careers, especially since you're so young." He stood, signaling the end of their very odd meeting.

-88-

"Could you look over my Potions?" Fred stuck his parchment in front of her face.

She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed it, unrolling it, her eyes darting across the lines. "Your penmanship is abhorrent."

He grinned, "I asked for your notes on the content, not presentation, Hayworth."

She glared at him, "Do you want me to read it?"

He put his hands up, "All right, all right." He sat next to her, "So. You and Diggory?"

Her head whipped up, "What are you on about, Fred?"

He smirked slyly, "You two have been chummier as of late. Since the Ball maybe?"

She quirked an eyebrow, "I could say the same of you and Johnson."

He cleared his throat, "That's neither here nor there, Hayworth."

"Fred, this essay is a huge improvement. I think Snape will be pleased," she smiled, "with my tutoring skills, of course."

He opened his mouth but Adelaide held up a hand, "I have Herbology to study for, if you don't mind."

-88-

The weeks leading up to the Second Task were not as nerve-wracking for Cedric since he was more confident in his swimming and breathing abilities. Classes went on as normal, but he sometimes felt like more people were watching him - especially when he was around Adelaide.

Which was a lot.

He ignored his "feelings", convincing himself that he just enjoyed her company. She made him laugh, made him study and reminded her of his Head duties.

They had gotten in a few arguments - private of course when she called him 'cocky' when he said he was ready for the next Task. After their third such argument in a week, Cedric woke very early one morning to swim in the frigid lake.

He was a good swimmer and he was able to keep himself warm by magic, but the water was still freezing. It cleared his head: gone were his agonizing, traitorous thoughts about Adelaide. Gone were her words about him not being ready for the dangers, of being cocky. Gone were his father's constant questioning of his post-Hogwarts plans. They were all replaced with the cold, black waters of the lake.

Grinning, he emerged quickly from the lake, conjuring a warm blanket to wrap himself in before throwing his clothes on again. No matter what Adelaide said, he was going to be all right.

-88-

"You ready for the next task, Diggory?"

Cedric nodded at Jack, "As ready as I can be, yea." He snuck a glance at Adelaide who frowned at her notes, waiting patiently for Professor Moody. The task was in less than 24 hours, but Cedric wasn't as anxious as he had been before the First Task. He had survived the dragons and he had read up on merpeople: Adelaide might think he was cocky, but he really, truly had been preparing.

Professor Moody stumbled through the door, "Ms. Hayworth, Headmaster wants to see you." She stood up, confused as everyone turned to look at her. "Bring your things." She looked questioningly at her brothers and Cedric, who shrugged. Cedric frowned, his eyes wide, but Adelaide smiled, "I'll see you before the task, don't worry."

Except, of course, she wouldn't.

Cedric sat with Jack and Neil at the Ravenclaw table at dinner, waiting for Adelaide to return. He tapped his spoon absently on his plate until Neil, smirking, said quietly to his friend, "So when are you going to admit to our sister that you love her?"

Cedric let out a nervous laugh, "Sorry?"

Neil's smirk grew larger, "She's insufferable when you two fight, you know."

Cedric frowned at Neil, confused and turned to Jack who was engrossed in a book. "Your brother has lost it."

Jack quirked an eyebrow over his book, "He's never really had it." He put his book down, "I'm sure Dumbledore needed her for something that she couldn't get out of, Diggory. She wouldn't not be here for you unless she had no choice."

He nodded the gears in his head, churning slowly as he forced himself to eat. He was going to need all his energy.

-88-

He made the long walk to the Heads' Room telling Jack and Neil he'd be fine and politely declining Cook's offer to spend the night in the Hufflepuff like 'old times'. He wanted to be alone. It didn't take him very long to put two and two together - Adelaide was the thing he cared most about. He didn't who decided such a thing, but it didn't bother him. It was common knowledge and rather obvious to everyone that they had known each other nearly ten years and had been best friends for just as long. Who else would he have expected to be in the lake?

It had taken forever to get any sleep before the first task, but knowing what he was actually up against and knowing what he had to do, he fell asleep quickly and slept rather well. He had to "rescue" Adelaide in the morning.

-88-

Cymbelia looked out anxiously over the stands and waved frantically at the Hayworth boys, "Where have you been and where on Earth it Adelaide?"

Jack frowned, "You haven't seen her? What could Dumbledore have possibly have wanted for this long? She'll miss the task!"

Cymbelia was about to reply when the four champions lined up on the dock, the announcer spoke and the clock started. What was going on?

-88-

What on Earth was Potter doing? It looked like he was attempting to save all four of the "hostages" but the merpeople guards wouldn't allow him to. Cedric would have helped the younger boy: Hermione and Ron were there and a smaller clone of Fleur. But when Cedric saw Adelaide, her hair floating eerily around her pale, greenish face, his insides twisted. He was exhausted having to fight off numerous merpeople and other creatures and he wanted to get her out of this freezing water quickly. He shrugged at Potter, waving his arms to tell him to hurry up before taking Adelaide's light, ragdoll-like body and swimming quickly to the surface.

The noise when he broke the surface of the lake was almost deafening, but he ignored it, instead grinning at Adelaide's sputtering, confused face. "Ce-Cedric?" Her teeth chattered as he pulled her the few feet to the dock and helped her out. She stood there, chattering, her clothes sticking to her, her hair laying flat against the back of her head. He took two blankets from Professor McGonagall, said quickly, "Potter was already there when I got there. I think she was trying to save everyone." He turned back towards Adelaide, wrapping her in a blanket before, pulling one around himself and guiding her to a bench further down the dock. He pulled her to him, running his hands down her arms to warm her, her small body nestled comfortably against him. She looked up at him, "What happened?"

He pulled her closer to him as she shivered again so she was nearly on his lap. "You were part of the Second Task."

She rested her head against his chest as he continued to rub her arms and back to warm her up. "Hm," she said, softly now, "I remember now. Dumbledore's office," she coughed, "was worried I wouldn't see you before, but they had to prepare us."

They were silent for a moment, trying to get warm. Cedric pulled her up so she was sitting across his lap, her legs curled up and her arms against his chest, when she shivered again. He grinned at her, his face very close to hers, "You were the thing I cared for most," he whispered, brushing her hair behind her ear as his other hand slowly continued to rub her back. She shivered again slightly, but this time not from cold.

It felt as though they were in slow motion. His grin slowly faded as his eyes slowly flicked down to her lips, his one hand still gingerly touching her face. His eyes darkened slightly. They both leaned their faces towards each other, their hearts simultaneously picking up speed as they closed the infinitesimal space between them.

And then, very slowly, they were kissing. Despite the cold air and their freezing clothes, the kiss was warm. The hand on her face tilted her head slightly, the hand on her back pausing and holding her closely to him as heat spread across their bodies. His lips slanted across hers, her hand gripping his wet shirt. Neither heard the cheers, gasps and applause when Harry emerged from the lake. They were too caught up in their warm, perfect kiss.

Just as they didn't know who initiated the kiss, neither knew who pulled away first. Neither wanted to, but they needed to breath. Gasping, their noses still nearly touching, they both opened their eyes, silver-grey meeting golden hazel. Cedric, his heart racing and ignoring the alarm bells sounding in his brain went to kiss her again when there was a cough behind them. His face was oddly blank, "Professor Dumbledore wants to see you and the _Daily Prophet_ wants a short interview."

Cedric looked quickly at Adelaide, his face a flurry of conflicting emotions. "Right, uh," he lifted her gingerly and set her lightly on the bench and turned again to Neil, his eyes unable to meet hers, "Keep her warm." Without another glance, he ran a tired hand through his hand and walked towards the tent.

Neil watched Cedric walk away and sat next to his sister. She didn't look like she could handle any remarks how. He'd wait until later to find out exactly what he had stumbled upon.

-88-

He saw her only briefly at dinner, but it felt as though everything had changed. He stumbled slightly on what few words he actually said to her and ran his hand nervously through his hair more frequently and rubbed the back of his neck far too often.

They had nearly run into each other when she was leaving, exhausted, drained and still slightly cold and he was walking in to eat. She spoke very quickly, too afraid to meet his eyes. "Heard you're tied with Potter for First - well done."

He nearly blushed, his eyes darting to her face quickly before darting away again, "Yea, thanks, so are - are you still cold?" He hated sounding so pathetic.

"A bit. I'm going to go to bed actually, lots of blankets," she muttered a quick thanks again and nearly raced out of the Great Hall.

Cedric shut his eyes in frustration before throwing himself on the Hufflepuff bench. He had just pretend-rescued her, he was her best friend and he was a Hogwarts champion and now he couldn't even talk to her. No wonder he wasn't a Gryffindor: he was a coward.

-88-

The next morning was no better: Adelaide had berated herself the night before and had every intention of acting normal around Cedric. She had convinced herself that it was just the adrenaline, the close proximity, the excitement - nothing to do with her feelings for her best friend. But when she walked into the Great Hall and she saw him, felt his eyes on her, saw the way the morning sun lightened his light brown hair, saw his shy smile, all of her confidence left her. She was a nervous little girl with a school girl crush.

And the article in that mornings _Daily Prophet_ did nothing to make the situation any less awkward.

_Hogwarts Champion Cedric Diggory, who is now tied for first with Mr. Harry Potter, tried to deny that he and Ms. Adelaide Hayworth, the girl he rescued from the merpeople of the lake, that they are not a couple, but his golden eyes and disarmingly charming smile say otherwise. She is the person he cares about most. They may have once been best friends, but now they are most certainly the reigning Hogwarts couple._

_That is, until Hermione Granger attempts to weasel her way in the same way she's already seduced two TriWizard Tournament contestant. It's only a matter of time before she tries her hand with Mr. Diggory. For their sake, this reporter hopes that Mr. Diggory loves his girlfriend enough to refuse Granger's temptations._

Not two minutes after the _Daily Prophets_ were delivered, Hermione raced over to the Ravenclaw table her brown eyes wide and horrified. "Adelaide, I - I never -"

Adelaide smiled, "Hermione, I know. I never believed the previous articles about you or Harry and I certainly don't believe this one."

"I didn't know that you and Cedric -"

Adelaide blushed, "No, we aren't. We are just best friends," she let out a nervous chuckle, "the woman got nothing right."

But that didn't stop the whispers and stares Adelaide, Hermione and Cedric were on the receiving end of. Harry had grown used to it, but Adelaide and Cedric were not used to whispers that concerned them as a couple.

During DADA they barely spoke to each other, but often stole glances at the other although never at the same time. The only thing Cedric could think to say was, "I never told that Skeeter woman -"

Adelaide nodded, her eyes not meeting his, "I know."

This went on the rest of the day: Cedric was sullen and grumpy and Adelaide was a jittery, jumpy mess, babbling on about nothing.

It was the usually quiet, calm and slow-to-annoy Jack who knocked some sense in to Cedric and Ron, of all people who inadvertently made her see sense.

"So you and Cedric are reportedly a couple, but you aren't speaking to each other?"

Adelaide frowned, "We aren't, Ron. We're just friends."

He shrugged, "That's how I always thought it started though, you know." He eyed her as he shoved a roll in his mouth, "You look like shit. And why are you acting so weird?"

"Diggory, this is getting ridiculous. You two are acting like foolish, little children."

Cedric could only open and close his mouth like a fish.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but that article is a load of bollocks and everyone knows that. So you two either go back to being best friends or something. Neil seems to think you're in love with her. If you are fine, just do something about it because you are driving everyone else crazy."

-88-

Cedric drummed his fingers on his desk, willing for class to be over and yet fearful that it actually would. He knew he had to do something concerning his now awkward relationship with Adelaide, but he was still scared. What if she just didn't want to hurt his feelings? If this kiss just ruined everything they had? Or worse, what if he never got to kiss her again?

Professor McGonagall finally dismissed them and Cedric found himself stuck behind everyone else. When he finally made it out the door he could barely pick out Adelaide over everyone else's heads as they hurried toward dinner. Ducking and dodging in between students and their large bags, he grabbed Adelaide's arm and pulled her towards an empty classroom, completely ignoring whoever it was she had been talking to.

But when he shut the door, he nearly panicked. Now what? He didn't have a plan, he didn't know what to say. He hadn't even been thinking when he dragged her here...

He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up slightly, "Adelaide, I - I don't know how to say this or what your reaction will be, but, well. You're my best friend. But sometimes - recently, well, since Wood was a bloody prick to you I've been, well, wanting you to be more," his eyes peered up to look at her. His shy, hazel eyes met her wide grey ones and he held them, his courage building slightly. "I didn't want to feel this way, I was scared it would ruin our friendship and I tried to ignore it, but, Merlin, Adelaide. You were the only one I wanted to take to the Ball, you're the one I want to study with and eat with and be with. I was furious when I heard about Whitaker. I was jealous of the Beaubaxton boys and the attention they gave you," he ran a hand over his face quickly. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Adelaide. I've always known how beautiful and smart and wonderful you are and how infuriating you can be, but I don't want to be just best friends. I want more. I'm not sorry I kissed you - it's all I've been thinking about. It was perfect and all I could think was that this would ruin us," he paused. "If you just want to be friends if you don't have these conflicting, confusing feelings for me like I do for you, I'll understand. And it'll take me a little while, but one day we'll be able to be -"

Grinning like a fool, she grabbed his robes and pulled his face towards hers, pressing her lips to his. He reacted instantly, cupping her face with his hands and pressing his body to hers. When she smiled against his lips, he pressed his forehead to hers, lazily opening his eyes and smiling back. "So, this means?"

"That we can snog as much as we want, yes," she let out a giggle when Cedric let out a satisfied sigh and slanted his lips against hers again. He could live with that.

-88-

Neither could hide the goofy grins from their faces when they walked to dinner half an hour later. They walked through the empty halls, Cedric's arm wrapped around her shoulders and hers around his waist. They didn't feel the need to tell anyone: yet, at least. They weren't dating, but they weren't labeling themselves, they were just progressing to the next level. Whatever that was.

They snuck another kiss outside the Great Hall before sitting at their respective tables. "Wait for me after?"

She grinned, "Of course."

He felt so natural, so right. She wasn't nervous or scared. Why hadn't they tried this before?

Neil eyed her curiously before smirking, deciding to keep his usually loud mouth shut. He would thoroughly enjoyed teasing the both of them later. Cymbelia said nothing, but Jack frowned. "Did you and Diggory finally make-up?"

She hid her blush by holding up her goblet of pumpkin juice, "Yes."

-88-

The next morning their "relationship" was no longer a secret: a third year had accidentally stumbled upon their 'goodnight kiss' outside Ravenclaw-tower and a fifth year caught them share a quick kiss outside the Great Hall. They knew something was up when they walked into the Great Hall and the common chatter stopped and nearly everyone watched them sit at the Ravenclaw table. Adelaide bit her lip to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the situation. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and turned his face towards her, kissing him quickly.

He stared at her with wide eyes, "What was that?" She smiled slyly when the chatter and clatter of eating utensils started up again. He shook his head at her, "This is going to be fun, isn't it?"

Neil smirked at them, "So, what's new with you?"

Cymbelia smacked his arm, "When did this happen and why didn't you tell us?"

Adelaide shrugged, "Nothing to tell really."

"Nothing, _nothing _to tell! You two are bloody dating!"

Cedric smiled, "Well we haven't exactly gone on a date yet."

Jack rolled his eyes, "But you nearly snogged in front of the whole school!" Alec shook his head in agreement.

The twins clapped Cedric on the back, "Bout time someone made a proper woman outta this one, Diggory!"

"Aye, we thought she was a lost cause, always beating up boys and flirting with them shamelessly -" They ran away laughing before Adelaide or Cedric could hit them.

-88-

During class it wasn't as if much had changed since they had always sat next to each other, but in between classes they were seemingly always together his arm around her or hers around him. Neither were particularly fond of hand-holding. But it wasn't as if they were always together. He had his Head Duties and she had extra classes and the occasional tutee. But they almost always had a smile on their face - to the point where it nearly made Neil, Alec and Cook sick.

But it felt like they barely had any time alone. Friday afternoon of that first week, Adelaide slyly hinted that she finally wanted to see the Heads' Dorms. Cedric swallowed loudly, "I don't know Adelaide, I don't think that's really allowed."

She quirked an eyebrow, "Cedric, we haven't spent any time alone to just sit by ourselves, have we?" She watched smugly as his eyes darted to her lips, "You're Head Boy, no one's going to care."

He relented of course, unable to really deny her something like this. And as soon as the portrait of Horace shut, he kissed her fiercely. "Merlin, I have missed this," he mumbled against her lips.

She smiled lazily and tugged him to the couch, her arms around his neck, "I thought you were never going to kiss me again."

"I would in the middle of class if I could," he kissed her again, groaning softly when her fingers played and tugged on his light brown hair.

Some time later they leaned against the back of the couch facing each other, her legs draped across her lap. "Why don't we come up here more often?"

"Because you would never get your work done," she smiled. "I thought everyone said first relationships were scary and nerve-wracking and hard."

"That's because they weren't us," he kissed her quickly, "how could I be nervous around you?"

-88-

Adelaide and Cedric, although they were unaware of it and would vehemently deny it, were the "Hogwarts Couple" that Skeeter had alluded them to be. Even without Quidditch, everyone knew Adelaide. The Slytherins respected her, which hadn't always been easy for Cedric, but he found that since dating Adelaide he had fewer problems with Slytherins. He was Head Boy, Hogwarts Champion and had been Quidditch-Captain. He was the "Prince of Hufflepuff", loyal, honest and hard-working. She was the female triplet, Quidditch-star, top of her class and the ultimate Ravenclaw. If they had wanted to, they could have ruled the school.

But they were much more low key than that. They liked to study together, bounce career-path ideas off each other and be with their friends. When it got warmer they liked to play Quidditch sometimes inviting their friends for pick-up games. And on the nights when they had time, they liked to spend time together - alone.

Things for them were going wonderfully. They rarely fought, wanting to spend the last few months of school happy. They were always smiling and were never nervous around each other. And they never made the other do something they didn't want to or weren't ready to do. But sometimes Adelaide wished he wasn't as timid when it came to snogging. And sometimes she wished he wasn't such a stickler for rules; although his excuse, "I am Head Boy" was fairly valid.

The last Saturday of April Adelaide decided that she was going to "take him out" on a date that broke very few rules. It wasn't meant to be anything special, she just wanted some extra time alone with him without hiding in his room. Neither were big romantics, but time alone together was very appealing, if only so people weren't constantly staring at them.

That afternoon they took a walk around the castle. "It's a bit warmer out and we are going to graduate son." It was a lovely stroll, Cedric had commented, made all the more lovely with the occasional kiss.

She took his hand and led him back to the castle. "Ah, time for dinner?"

She smiled, "Yup." But they walked past the doors of the Great Hall and Cedric chuckled. This was the "few rules" they'd be breaking, going directly to the kitchens.

The House Elves were ecstatic to see them and already had a table set up with several of their favorite foods, including an Italian pasta dish they had had once during break. "Addie, they never make this," he grinned.

She shrugged, "They enjoyed the challenge." He kissed her forehead laughing before digging in.

"I'm too stuffed to do anything else."

She pouted, "But Ceddie!" She laughed, "Our date's not over yet!" She stood and pulled him up, "Thanks again everyone! It was delicious - you've really outdone yourselves!" She pulled him out of the kitchens and towards the stairs.

"Adelaide, it'll be curfew soon -"

"That's why your Head Boy, Ceddie. It'll be fine. Come on." When they got to the Astronomy Tower Cedric laughed and kissed the top of her head, his arms wrapped tightly around her. "It's a very clear night, I couldn't resist." They took turns at the telescope, pointing out obscure stars and galaxies they remembered from lessons.

Then laughing, his arms wrapped around her, they pointed out constellations, trying to beat each other. "Ursa Major," Cedric said smugly.

"Vela," she smirked.

He wrapped both arms around her, turning her towards him, "You know, for someone who claims they aren't very romantic," he laughed when she swatted him and leaned in for a quick kiss.

"We're competing, Cedric. And do you see any roses or candles?"

He laughed at how defensive she was, "You're too easy," he teased, "now come on, it's past curfew, I should walk you back."

"But your room is much closer -"

"Addie," he started.

"Cedric, we're less likely to get caught if we don't have to walk as far."

"Adelaide, cone on, we can't."

She got defensive again, "Do you not want to? Do you not want to fall asleep next to me?"

He ran a hand through his hair, "I'm Head Boy."

She knew he was starting to give in, "I'll leave early before anyone wakes up, I promise."

He frowned, "I could get in so much trouble."

She took his hand, "Oh, come on, Cedric, live a little, won't you?"

-88-

After Adelaide told him to stop worrying so much and after he stopped being so anxious, he lent her a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. But when she jumped on his bed and patted the spot next to her he tensed up again.

"Cedric, I'm not going to bite you. Or take your virtue," she frowned when he didn't smile. "Cedric?"

"I've never slept with someone in my bed."

She chuckled, "Neither have I, Ceddie, come on."

"I don't want your brothers or anyone to get the wrong idea -"

"Cedric, no one has to know. It can be our secret," she took his hand and yanked him to the bed, "now stop being ridiculous."

That was the first of many weekend nights she spent with Cedric. He was nervous to even wrap his arms around her first and didn't dare 'try something' and wouldn't even let Adelaide get a chance to discuss it. But he quickly became more comfortable with her sleeping in his bed. Especially those nights closer to the Final Task when he couldn't fall asleep.

During the day he got no peace - everyone was offering him luck or wondering what he knew about the upcoming task. Which was absolutely nothing. She was good at shooing people away, especially the younger years, but he barely got a moment to himself. And at night he couldn't shut his brain off. She would lay with him, running her fingers through his hair, but she would often fall asleep before him.

The day before the task, Cedric and Adelaide stole away from everyone hiding when they heard people as they ran outside to the seclusion of a tree near the lake. "I can't handle one more question about the task."

"Or about the future," she groaned.

They stayed under the cool shade of the tree until dinner, thankful for what little peace and quiet they got.

-88-

Cedric had told her politely that he needed to spend that night alone, but making her promise to eat breakfast with him. Smiling, she agreed. He didn't seem nervous, so why should she be nervous?

The task itself - from what she could see - seemed straightforward and was, at least, dragon-free. Cedric had been very diligent about practicing hexing and dueling and brushing up on many spells. He was as prepared for a labyrinth as anyone could be.

"They're taking a pretty long time," Ron said behind her.

"It's a pretty large maze," she reasoned. But Ron was right. Fleur had sent up sparks long before. Where were they?

And then, there they were: Harry clutching Cedric, an agonized, terrible yell tore from his throat as Cedric lay there motionless. Adelaide was glued to her spot. "No," she whispered, shaking her head, "no." She watched as Mr. and Mrs. Diggory ran to their son only to be stopped by McGonagall, Dumbledore and Moody rushing to Harry and Cedric. She watched as if everything were in slow motion, Dumbledore levitating Cedric, Moody helping Harry.

Neil shook her, "He's alive, Adelaide. Look." Mrs. Diggory was hugging her husband tightly as Dumbledore nodded to McGonagall who addressed the crowd, "He's all right - just need to get to the Hospital Wing."

Adelaide fell to the bleachers in a daze, the confusion of her classmates lost to the buzzing in her ears. He didn't look all right. Five minutes later Professor Snape came for her, "Dumbledore wants you in the Hospital Wing - the Diggorys are too hysterical for Madame Pomfrey." She would have laughed if she weren't still dazed.

-88-

She lay next to him, running her fingers through his hair, pretending he was merely asleep and not in a potential coma. No one was supposed to get this hurt in the Tournament.

He felt her next to him before he saw her. He could feel her hand in his hair scratching his scalp lightly like she did when he couldn't sleep. He could feel her body next to his, her leg pressed against his, her arm around his shoulder, her head on top of his. And though he had no idea where he was or what had happened, he felt safe because she was there.

He blinked open his eyes slowly and managed to croak out, "Addie?" before her face was centimeters from his, tears in her eyes, her cheeks still obviously damp.

Her smile was wide, "Merlin, Cedric," she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her. He buried his face in her neck as the memories flooded back and he shuddered involuntarily. She pulled his head up, her hands on either side of his face and kissed both cheeks frantically before pressing her lips against his, all her worry, anxiety and fear nearly overwhelming him.

They were both breathless when she rested her forehead against his. "Harry?"

"Talking to Dumbledore," she whispered. "I should get your parents -"

He sat back against the pillows, pulling her alongside him, "Not yet," he whispered his hand intertwining with hers.

Ten minutes later, however, McGonagall and Snape hurried in with Mr. and Mrs. Diggory behind them. Squeezing his hand, she got up from the cot so his parents could see him. She still had no idea what had happened; she hadn't the heart or the stomach to ask Cedric. Snape nodded at her, his face void of any expression, but she went to him. "Dumbledore wants to see you," he frowned slightly, his black beady eyes watching her, "but don't leave his office until I return."

"Professor?"

"Get something from the kitchens, then go to Dumbledore's office. Wait for him there. He's with Potter and the Mad Eye imposter."

"Professor?'

He touched her arm, "He will explain. Just go. Do not talk to anyone." And before she could question him, he left with one last sweep of his robes.

-88-

Adelaide waited what felt like centuries in the Headmaster's Office. She barely touched the biscuit and tea the House Elves had given her. She had no idea why Snape told her to come here let alone to stay until he had returned. And what did Dumbledore want with her anyway? She had no idea what had happened, it wasn't like she had witnessed anything. And what did Snape mean about Professor Moody being an imposter? She furrowed her brow again hating that she was here doing nothing and not with Cedric or her brothers or -

The door opened quietly and Dumbledore ignored her presence until he was standing behind his desk, "Please, Ms. Hayworth, sit."

"Professor what is going on? Why did Snape want me to come here? Why -"

"Professor Snape," he corrected quietly as he lowered himself to his large chair.

"Yes, yes, of course," she muttered, "why am I -"

"Ms. Hayworth, you love your family and your friends, don't you?"

She looked at him, she saw the way his shoulders were slumped slightly as though he was tired, his serious, defeated face, his twinkle-less blue eyes. She did not like what she saw, "Yes," she hesitated, "of course I do."

"And you would do anything you could to protect them, wouldn't you?" He watched her closely.

"Well, there's really not much to protect them from, Professor."

Dumbledore looked at her over his clasped hands, "You were at the Quidditch World Cup, were you not? You saw the Dark Mark," he watched her closely as she fidgeted slightly. "It was not a stunt. It was very real."

"But - but, Professor, there hasn't been anything in the papers since, it was just a sick, twisted," she looked up at him, her grey eyes fearful and desperate. "Professor," she pleaded.

"Would you do everything in your ability to protect your family, your friends and those who can not protect themselves?"

She felt cold and nauseous. What was going on? He wasn't telling her anything and yet she was scared. She licked her dry lips and nodded slowly, "Yes, of course."

He nodded and placed his hands flat on his desk, "Now, I think you are ready to hear everything."

She listened horrified as Dumbledore told her everything Harry told her had happened at the graveyard. He watched as she became infuriated when he told her that her DADA professor had indeed been a Death Eater and had used Cedric as a pawn.

He was mildly surprised that she did not wince when he said 'Voldemort'. He let her calm down some and drink some of her tea before he answered her unspoken question, "What could I possibly do to help?"

He told her of the Order of the Phoenix, their past mission and his intention to start it once again. "I want to join," she said, her voice strong and determined. "Whatever I can to bring this bastard down before he gets too strong."

He nodded, "Good. But Adelaide, you can't tell anyone you're a part of it, that you even know it exists."

"But Neil and Jack and Cedric will want to join. And Bill and Charlie and Percy too."

"And they will," he watched her again and she felt slightly unnerved. "But I believe that you can better help the cause, protect your family in other ways."

She opened her mouth to speak when McGonagall walked in, her mouth in a tight line, "You were right, Albus. The Minister's already issued a statement in the _Prophet_," her eyes turned slowly to Adelaide before darting back to the Headmaster, "and it will only get worse."

He nodded, "Is Severus back yet?"

She stiffened and handed him the thin paper, "Not yet."

"Thank you, Minerva. Please tend to the Diggorys and whoever else. I will be indisposed for sometime longer."

She nodded curtly and walked out quickly sending Adelaide an uncharacteristically sympathetic glance.

There was already an article in a special _Daily Prophet_? How long ago had Harry and Cedric emerged out of the maze? She looked outside: the sun was just setting when they had returned and not the half moon was rising - or was it setting, was the sun going to rise soon? "Can I - can I read it, Professor?'

His eyes were sad and sympathetic as he handed her the article that stated plainly that there was nothing to worry about that Harry and Cedric were fine, were being questioned and reprimanded for their inappropriate lies. When the Minister was asked if Dumbledore was right he stated simply, "Professor Dumbledore is supporting his students' claim because he, like Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory, wants the attention and is seeking the fame that winning and spreading these outlandish lies will get them."

She looked up, her eyes blazing, "This is outrageous, professor! You have to stop this!"

"I've already spoken with the Minister, Ms. Hayworth, and he is adamant in his beliefs," he said evenly.

"But professor, people need to know, they need to -"

"Live in fear? If the Ministry and the _Daily Prophet_ are going to claim that Mr. Potter, Mr. Diggory and I are lying, then people will believe them. They'll want to believe them."

"But -"

"This is where you come in, Adelaide." She fell silent setting the paper on his desk and resting her back against the back of her chair. "This is why you can not tell anyone of your involvement with the Order of the Phoenix."

Professor Snape shoved the large door open and nearly flew into the room, his eyes darting between the Headmaster and Adelaide. "It's true. He has returned. Strong, with Potter's blood. Most of his followers - the ones that avoided prison," he nearly sneered.

He ignored Adelaide's curious stare and sat down in the chair next to her. "Severus, we just read the papers."

"He knows. He's very pleased that they are discrediting you."

Adelaide looked between the two, "Will someone please tell me what is going on?"

Snape turned his head towards her slowly, "I thought it would be fairly obvious, Ms. Hayworth. I am a spy for the Order." Her mouth flew open. "Albus, I must request that you reconsider -" he had turned back to Dumbledore.

"Severus," he said sternly, "it's for the best and you know it. It could prove very useful."

"Think of what you are asking," he said through gritted teeth.

Adelaide's gut twisted again.

"Adelaide," Dumbledore said gently, "you are the only one who can help the Order this way. If there were another option, I wouldn't request such a difficult task, but -"

"Professor," she swallowed thickly, "what is it?"

She listened, her eyes glued to his desk afraid of seeing his sympathetic blue eyes or Snape's cold black ones. A coldness fell over her as she processed what she needed to do. Sever all ties. No communication. Denounce Dumbledore. Work at the Department of Mysteries. At night. Live amongst Muggles. Blend in. Infiltrate. Learn things. Protect your family.

When he was done she nodded, her eyes still on his desk. "Yes, of course. Just tell me when. Where I'll go. And when I start." She ignored Snape's desperate attempts to change Dumbledore's mind. She had to do it. It had to be her. It could only be her.

She listened to his instructions, where she would stay before interviewing, before starting at the Ministry. He said Snape and Remus would help her, but otherwise, "unfortunately, for publicity circumstances" she had to be on her own.

She walked out of his office in silence, her mind completely turned off. She walked slowly to the Hospital Wing where she slipped in unnoticed and laid down next to Cedric without waking him.

She didn't sleep that night.

-88-

She had been acting strangely since the Final Task. There were very few days left and they had already taken their N.E.W.T.s, but Adelaide rarely spoke, rarely laughed. "She's acting like she did during O.W.L.s," Neil pointed out, "what's wrong with her, Diggory?"

Cedric wished he knew: she would always force a smile on her face and claim nothing was wrong, she was just nervous about getting a job.

But he wasn't convinced. She never let him speak about what had happened that night in the graveyard. Nor would she tell him why she had gone to Snape's office several times since. But she wanted to spend every night with him and would snog him to get him to stop asking questions."

Something was definitely not right.

-88-

They stepped off the train, her insides twisting violently. There were her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Mr. and Mrs. Diggory, all attempting to look cheerful despite their obvious anxiousness. Voldemort was back.

Dumbledore didn't say when she had to do it. Or where, as long as it was very public. But if she went home and spent time with everyone would she be able to do it? Could she so easily hurt her family once she spent some time in St. Ottery?

Cedric went to wrap his arm around her waist and she stiffened. She had to do it now.

"Is it true? What they're saying?" Arthur asked.

And she knew that this was the moment. She had to do it now. To save Cedric. To save her family. To save everyone she cared about.

"Merlin of course it's not true! Voldemort's back? From the dead? What utter nonsens!"

Everyone was too shocked to speak. Except, of course, Ron. "Oi, what are you on about? Harry and Cedric saw him! They cut Harry!"

"Oh, please," she struggled to twist her face in despair, stepping away from Cedric as she felt the eyes of bystanders on them, "Diggory was unconscious and Potter wanted attention since he didn't win!" She let out a strained, maniac laugh, "You honestly can't believe them!"

"Adelaide Catherine Hayworth," her mother warned.

"The Ministry doesn't believe them and neither do I - you are all ridiculous and fools for taking their word." She took hold of her trunk, struggling to not visibly shake or burst into tears, ignoring the quiet pleas from Ginny, the confused and disbelieving faces of her brothers and the twins and the hurt looks from Harry, Hermione and Ron. "I will not stand by while you lot make fools of yourselves and of our people. I want _nothing_ to do with _any_ of you," she sneered at Cedric, "consider this us breaking up." With her chin raised defiantly, she walked through the brick wall. The forlorn, heartbreaking look on Cedric's face would haunt her for months.

-88-

A/N: This was crazy crazy crazy long, I know. But I like it – although now I want to go back and rewrite parts when she's on her own, but I won't…..I don't know when more will come, but more will come. Stuff for after the Harry/Ginny wedding. I just wanted to write bits of this…

Thoughts? Comments? PLEASE REVIEW!


	25. Three Years Later

A/N: Aloha! I think this is going to be the end. For now, at least. But we'll see. Never say never. But I think ya'll will enjoy this potential ending. It's quick and simple but entertaining.

-88-

_**Three Years Later**_

Charlie and Gabrielle were Victoire's godparents and she and Teddy were _very_ fast friends; little Teddy was "teaching" her everything she needed to know about "everything" and kept her entertained with his hair, nose and eye "magic" tricks. Fleur and Bill were pregnant again and the family was, yet again betting on the gender: female was the more popular bet this time around.

Jack and Lana, in a surprise to everyone, had quietly gotten married in Romania not two weeks after Victoire was born. The following year they were the proud parents of Timothy Ryuu Hayworth, and Adelaide and Charlie were his proud and doting godparents. Adelaide and Neil (with the help of Mrs. Weasley) were trying to get the family to relocate back to England so that "little Ryuu" could grow up with his cousins.

Charlie was still dating Heidi and she was in no hurry to get married quiet yet. They did, however, attend every birth, every holiday and every wedding thanks to Charlie's promotion. He too was looking to get Jack to eventually relocate to the up-and-coming reservation in Wales.

After an 18-month engagement, Hermione and Fred were married in a relatively small wedding at the Black Country Manor. They only had one best man and maid of honor but allowed everyone to be in the 'wedding party' photos. And of course, George set off multiple fireworks.

Ginny and Harry were happily married and enjoying the occasional "weekend getaway" in between Quidditch seasons. But Ginny was planning on retiring from Quidditch in the "near future", her Harpies, of which she was now captain, were doing decently well in the league standings, but were still no match for Adelaide's, Harry's or Neil's teams. She was contemplating retiring after the World Cup, which England finally had a good shot of winning, thanks to the combined efforts of Harry, Ginny, Neil, Adelaide and Robbie Grey. (The British Quidditch League was also having a record-breaking few seasons nearly selling out every game). Ginny and Harry were eager to start a family.

Hermione and Adelaide had made some headway in their efforts to legalize gay marriage, but in the meantime Neil and George had a "civil union" that was recognized by Kingsley. They were in the midst of adopting a baby boy from a wizarding orphanage in Russia. Little Nikolas, only a few weeks old, would be theirs in a few months. Adelaide and Fred were already named godparents.

The Lupin-Black Foundation was a huge international success, providing the Diggory-Hayworth Wolfsbane to all werewolves who wished to have it. Donations came from several international organizations and people around the globe and with Fleur's part-time bookkeeping and managing of their finances, it was highly unlikely they would be unable to help werewolves everywhere indefinitely.

Malfoy became the international liaison and traveled around the globe setting up brewing and distribution centers as well as education and wellness centers. And when he was in England he was always invited and welcome to any of the Black, Lupin, Potter, Weasley or Hayworth households.

Ron was still dating Victoria, but everyone was soon expecting Ron, already a prominent Auror to propose soon, if only to not be too outdone by Percy who had, in his typical, practical manner, married Margo at the Ministry one day after work. But had also agreed to a large celebratory party at the Burrow.

Sirius and Kate had parted ways amicably a few months after Harry and Ginny got married, but he met a beautiful, Italian woman while on holiday. She had recently taken a position as an "international" correspondent for the _Daily Prophet_. She was perfect for Sirius; she was fun and adventurous, was not expectant of commitment, and was okay with long distance, respective of his desire to remain part of the time in England to be with his family. But she also provided numerous exotic vacations, which Sirius enjoyed between his time as godfather, President of the Black-Lupin Foundation and Hogwarts Board member.

WWW had expanded greatly the past three years with two stores in England, one in Wales, Ireland, France, Germany and Norway and plans for one in the States, Canada and Japan. And their International Owl Order Service required its own office.

Adelaide and Cedric were still Adelaide and Cedric: they were still not engaged nor did they had any plans to become engaged. They rarely even referred to one another as 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend', but simply by their names in conversation or in the press. It wasn't necessary, of course, because the entire wizarding world knew who they were.

They still lived in the same flat although they had spent the occasional weekend at the Black Country Manor and even a week-vacation in Venice thanks to one of Cedric's very grateful and very wealthy patients. They had also recently adopted a puppy, much to the pleasure of Teddy, Victoire and Sirius. Little Captain was soon a staple at all family events.

Like everyone else, Adelaide and Cedric were media staples: Cedric was internationally renowned for his diagnostic skills and had given several lectures. It was thought that he was on the path to potentially becoming the Chief Healer of St. Mungo's. And after only three years, Adelaide had turned her near 'laughing stock' team to become a serious league competitor. For three years running she held the record for most goals scores and most assists and the Pride of Portree won a record number of games without catching the Snitch her first season. She would soon be inducted into the Quidditch Hall of Fame along with her brother, Ginny and Harry.

She would never get used to signing autographs and she was still flabbergasted that there were several 'new' Quidditch shots that were named after her, including her old, original 'Reverse Adelaide'. Cedric would only laugh at her and tease her when children would bombard her with questions and pleas for autographs. And for the second holiday season in a row, her 'Hayworth 10' jersey was sold out (as was 'Potter 7' 'Potter 4' and 'Hayworth 0').

Although everyone knew them and their entire extended family, Cedric and Adelaide were still extremely down to earth and modest. Adelaide may be the "Second Smartest Witch of the Age" behind Hermione, but she never let that get to her head. The people loved them, but journalists hated them because they never gave proper, full or exciting answers.

At the Second Annual Quidditch Fundraising Match Ball, Adelaide answered the question, "Can you tell us about your dress?" with an innocent, "It's blue".

-88-

Cedric didn't know how she could do it, after all the times she was recently subjected to wearing the "fancy dresses" that she so despised, but she still managed to surprise him. She always looked fresh and stunning. He took her hand in his and saw a smile creep up her face out of the corner of his eye. Luna and Viktor's wedding, the latest and first in a long while neither was a part of, was an odd affair; not that there had every been any doubt. The bride's side was full of bizarre headpieces, bright colors and several redheads. The groom's side was mostly dark colors and serious faces. Adelaide, in her outrageously neon green dress and he, in his pale blue oxford and matching neon green tie, stuck out like sore thumbs. But how could he refuse her desire to 'liven up' Krum's family?

Even in this ridiculously-colored dress, she still looked fantastic. But unlike when they had first gotten back together, she knew it. She knew what some of her outfits did to him and so when she crossed her legs, causing her skirt to ride up slightly, he knew she'd be smirking.

"_You_ love, are a tease," he whispered.

"Says the man in those delectable khakis."

He bit back a laugh.

Yes, after three years together and nearly twenty as friends, they were still going strong. And even with no immediate plans to marry, he knew they would be together a long, long time.

-88-

A/N: I hope everyone likes the names: I decided to make Lana Japanese-Canadian and she'd want her kid to have a Japanese name. Ryuu means dragon. So, it's perfect. And I figured that Fred, George, Adelaide Neil would call him Ryuu instead of Timmy. Waaay more fun. Obviously.


End file.
